UK protection officers instructed to guard 2010 Epstein dinner party

LONDON: London police officers assigned to King Charles’ younger brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor were instructed to provide security for a dinner party at Jeffrey Epstein’s residence in New York in 2010, British media reported on Sunday.

The Sunday Times, which first reported the story, cited emails from the Epstein files that appear to detail arrangements for Mountbatten-Windsor to stay with the late convicted sex offender in December 2010, along with his two protection officers from London’s Metropolitan Police force.

In an email sent the night before the event with the subject line “Security for party”, a staff member informed Epstein the two officers had been given “instructions on the door”.

The reports come after police said on Friday they were contacting former protection officers who worked for Mountbatten-Windsor, urging anyone with allegations of sex offences relating to Epstein to come forward.

Police said they have not identified any wrongdoing by the protection officers at this stage. Asked to respond to Sunday’s reports, the Metropolitan Police said it had no further comment.

Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office in a separate investigation, and was released under investigation after being held by another police force, Thames Valley, for more than 10 hours.

His arrest related to allegations that he sent confidential government documents to Epstein while working as a trade envoy. As part of its investigation, Thames Valley Police continued to search his former mansion in Windsor on Sunday.

Mountbatten-Windsor has always denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, and said he regretted their friendship.

In 2022, the royal settled a civil lawsuit brought in the US by the late Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager at properties owned by Epstein or his associates. He has denied ever meeting her.