American investigators “dropped the ball” in their handling of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, US Congress heard on Wednesday.
A fiery congressional hearing on Wednesday saw US Attorney General Pam Bondi face intense scrutiny over the White House’s publication of Jeffrey Epstein documents, with the session descending into accusations of perjury and improper surveillance of Democratic lawmakers.
During the hearing, California Democrat Ted Lieu turned attention to the disgraced British royal, presenting two images showing Mr Mountbatten-Windsor positioned on all fours above an unidentified woman.
The representative demanded to know why these photographs had never been used to bring charges against the former prince, who Virginia Giuffre accused of sexually abusing her after being trafficked by Epstein.
A fiery congressional hearing on Wednesday saw US Attorney General Pam Bondi face intense scrutiny over the White House’s publication of Jeffrey Epstein documents, with the session descending into accusations of perjury and improper surveillance of Democratic lawmakers.
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Mr Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently maintained his innocence and reached a settlement with Ms Giuffre in 2022 that contained no admission of wrongdoing.
When Ms Bondi suggested Mr Lieu should have posed such questions to her predecessor Merrick Garland, the congressman concurred, stating that Mr Garland “dropped the ball” in handling the matter.
Recently released documents revealed Mr Mountbatten-Windsor and his former wife, Sarah Ferguson, maintained contact with Epstein well beyond when they claimed to have severed ties.
Appearing in the Epstein files is not evidence of any wrongdoing, and inclusion in the documents does not implicate anyone in Epstein’s criminality.
When Ms Bondi suggested Mr Lieu should have posed such questions to her predecessor Merrick Garland, the congressman concurred, stating that Mr Garland “dropped the ball” in handling the matter.
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It comes as Crown Prosecution Service lawyers have been holding discussions with detectives from two police forces investigating Lord Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in connection with Jeffrey Epstein, the Director of Public Prosecutions has confirmed.
Stephen Parkinson revealed that prosecutors are maintaining close contact with both the Metropolitan Police and Thames Valley Police as they examine whether the two men committed misconduct in public office.
The DPP stated: “We are in close contact with the Met and Thames Valley Police but we haven’t been asked for formal advice yet. In complex cases, the CPS and the police do work together and we will do so.”
Such early engagement between prosecutors and investigators typically indicates that criminal inquiries have progressed significantly.
Thames Valley Police has since confirmed that the matter relating to Andrew remains at the assessment stage, with no decision yet taken on whether to open a full criminal investigation.
In a statement shared with GB News, Thames Valley Police Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright said: “We can confirm today (11/2) that Thames Valley Police is leading the ongoing assessment of allegations relating to misconduct in public office. This specifically relates to documents within the United States Department of Justice’s Epstein Files.
“As part of this assessment, we have engaged in discussions with Specialist Crown Prosecutors from the CPS. We will provide updates as and when they are available, but at this stage it would be inappropriate to discuss further specifics of this work.
“During an assessment phase, information is evaluated to determine whether a criminal offence is suspected and whether a full investigation is required. Allegations of misconduct in public office involve particular complexities, and therefore an assessment must be conducted carefully and thoroughly.
“While we cannot provide timescales over when a decision as to whether a criminal investigation will be opened, we can assure you that Thames Valley Police is making progress as quickly as possible.”
The Metropolitan Police launched their inquiry into Lord Mandelson following the release of emails from the Epstein files, which indicated he may have shared sensitive government and market intelligence with the convicted paedophile during his tenure as business secretary.
Thames Valley Police is examining comparable allegations against Mr Mountbatten-Windsor, the former Duke of York, who allegedly provided information to the disgraced financier whilst serving as UK trade envoy.
Both inquiries are reportedly advancing at pace, with Met officers having searched two properties belonging to Lord Mandelson within the past week.
Buckingham Palace has indicated its willingness to assist the police with their investigation into the King’s brother.