UK Govt Backs Making Prince Andrew Files Public

Hours after a seasoned politician was questioned by police in connection with the expanding Jeffrey Epstein scandal, the UK government announced on Tuesday that it was in favor of the release of records about former Prince Andrew’s position as a trade envoy.

Millions of papers pertaining to the late sexual offender Epstein were made public by US authorities last month; the disclosures in these files have shocked British royal and political circles.

It has prompted two distinct, well-publicized police investigations and increased pressure on Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s administration to make its own screening materials public.

On Tuesday, the Liberal Democrats filed a resolution in parliament to compel the government to make public the vetting records for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s 2001–2011 term as trade envoy.

King Charles III, the brother of the former prince who was detained last week on accusations of misbehavior in public office, has stated that the “law must take its course.”

Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, called Andrew’s connections to Epstein and Peter Mandelson, the former government minister who was detained on Monday, a “stain on our country.”

“We must begin to clean away that stain with the disinfectant of transparency,” he stated

The government is pushing for the Andrew files as it gets ready to make public the first tranche of documents pertaining to Mandelson’s nomination as the UK ambassador in Washington in March.

Mandelson, who served as Britain’s envoy to Washington until September and was a pivotal figure in British politics for decades, was arrested on Monday in connection with a separate misconduct in public office investigation that also involved his connections to Epstein.

Due to the controversy surrounding Mandelson’s selection, two of Starmer’s top aides resigned, casting doubt on the prime minister’s judgment.

The government backed the release of the vetting documents from Andrew’s selection as envoy under then-Labour prime leader Tony Blair 26 years ago, leader Chris Bryant said parliament.

He added that Andrew was “a rude, arrogant, and entitled man” and that it was “the least we owe the victims” of Epstein.

However, Bryant warned that in order to protect their investigation, the police would have to advise the government on what papers may be made public.

Police are looking into claims that Mountbatten-Windsor, who lost his titles last year, gave Epstein access to private information while serving as envoy.

The former royal has denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, despite being embroiled in scandals for a long time because of his acquaintance with the late US sex criminal.

Virginia Giuffre, who passed away last year, said she was trafficked three times, beginning in 2001 and twice when she was just 17 years old, to have sex with Mountbatten-Windsor.

In 2022, Giuffre filed a legal action in the US, which Andrew resolved without acknowledging any wrongdoing.

Mandelson was a key member of the party when Andrew was named trade envoy, and he helped ensure Blair’s election victory, which resulted in the Conservatives being overthrown.

Andrew Lownie, Mountbatten-Windsor’s biographer, told AFP that Mandelson and Blair “pushed his appointment through.”

This month, Starmer was successfully forced to provide information pertaining to Mandelson’s 2024 appointment as ambassador to Washington through a resolution presented to parliament known as a “humble address.”

After barely seven months, Mandelson was fired from his position as chief envoy due to discoveries regarding the extent of his relationship with Epstein.

Despite Mandelson’s detention, government minister Bridget Phillipson said Sky News on Tuesday that the government would “push ahead” with releasing the first of thousands of Mandelson documents in “early March.”

She also warned that which records are made public may depend on the results of the police inquiry.

In addition to offering an apology to Epstein’s victims for selecting Mandelson, Starmer accused the former envoy of lying about the depth of his connections to the tycoon while he was being screened for his position in Washington.

Despite Epstein’s 2008 conviction for child prostitution, Mandelson, who was released on bond early Tuesday, had previously expressed regret for his friendship with the financier and maintained that he was unaware of the financier’s sexual offenses.

Mandelson and Andrew have not been accused of any crimes.