The US government’s release of more than 3 million documents related to Jeffrey Epstein has raised further questions about the ties of three prominent figures in British public life to the disgraced financier, who appears to have been granted access to the heart of Britain’s government and royal family.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor:
The former Prince Andrew has for years attempted to bat away questions about his links to Epstein. In a now-infamous interview with the BBC in 2019, Mountbatten-Windsor claimed that he had severed all ties with Epstein in 2010, following the financier’s 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from an underage girl.
Emails uncovered last year called Mountbatten-Windsor’s claim into question. The British media reported that Mountbatten-Windsor appeared to contact Epstein again in 2011, telling him to “keep in close touch” and that they were “in this together.” Soon after, King Charles III stripped Mountbatten-Windsor, his brother, of his royal titles in October, and began the process to evict him from the royal estate at Windsor.
But the latest trove of Epstein files has heaped further scrutiny on the disgraced royal. Three undated photos appear to show the former prince, now Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, kneeling over what appears to be a woman or girl – whose face has been redacted – who is lying fully clothed and supine on the floor. In two photos, Mountbatten-Windsor touches her stomach and waist; in a third, he looks at the camera while on all fours, leaning over her body.
Sarah Ferguson:
Mountbatten-Windsor’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson – known as “Fergie” – is also mentioned several times in the latest tranche of files, although this does not indicate any wrongdoing. Ferguson was dropped last year as the patron or ambassador to several British charities after earlier documents showed she had called Epstein her “supreme friend.” At the time, a spokesperson for Ferguson said she regretted her association with Epstein.
But the latest documents are further evidence of the depth of their relationship. On Monday evening, Ferguson’s charitable foundation “Sarah’s Trust” announced it would close “for the foreseeable future” after “some months” of discussion, according to the UK’s PA Media news agency.
Peter Mandelson:
Mandelson, widely known in political circles as the “Prince of Darkness” for his Machiavellian approach to power, was fired as the UK’s ambassador to Washington in September over the deepening scandal surrounding his ties to Epstein. That month, US lawmakers had released a “birthday book,” compiled for Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003, in which Mandelson penned a handwritten note describing the financier as “my best pal.”
The latest tranche of documents has revealed that Mandelson appeared to leak sensitive UK government tax plans to Epstein. They also show that his partner, Reinaldo Avila da Silva, regularly received undisclosed payments from him.
Mandelson has been on a leave of absence from the House of Lords since February last year, to allow him to serve as the UK ambassador to the US. On Monday, a Downing Street spokesperson said that Starmer believes that Mandelson should be stripped of his peerage.
“The prime minister has asked for this to be urgently looked at. The prime minister believes that Peter Mandelson should not be a member of the House of Lords or use the title,” the spokesperson said.
