The British police power investigating Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has mentioned it could look into allegations of sexual misconduct as a part of its investigation into doable misconduct in public workplace whereas the previous prince was a commerce envoy for Britain.
In an replace Friday, Thames Valley Police renewed its attraction for anybody with info to return ahead and mentioned it had contacted the attorneys for a girl who beforehand claimed that she was taken to an handle in Windsor for sexual functions.
That encounter, first reported in January by the BBC, allegedly occurred on the former prince’s residence, Royal Lodge, in 2010. The lady’s lawyer, Brad Edwards from the US agency Edwards Henderson, advised the BBC she was despatched to Britain by the late intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein when she was in her 20s and that, after spending an evening with Mountbatten-Windsor, she was given a tour of Buckingham Palace.
Thames Valley Police had beforehand mentioned it was aware of such reports, and on Friday made it clear that the power had not but spoken to the alleged sufferer.
“We have engaged with the woman’s legal representative to confirm that, should she wish to report this to police, it will be taken seriously and handled with care, sensitivity and respect for her privacy and her right for anonymity,” the power mentioned in a press release.
“We recognize how difficult it can be to speak about experiences of this nature, and any contact with police will be led by her wishes, when and if she feels ready and able to do so,” it added.
The replace was the primary by Thames Valley Police since Mountbatten-Windsor, the brother of King Charles III, was arrested in February at his new house at Sandringham in Norfolk over allegations of misconduct in public workplace. He was launched “under investigation” the identical day.
Mountbatten-Windsor has vehemently denied any and all wrongdoing in his dealings with Epstein, and has denied any private acquire from his position as a British commerce envoy.
The power mentioned it was persevering with to examine “a number of aspects of alleged misconduct” following the US authorities’s launch of paperwork regarding its investigation into Epstein.
“Our misconduct in public office investigation is continuing. Misconduct in public office is a crime that can take different forms, making this a complex investigation,” mentioned Oliver Wright, assistant chief constable for Thames Valley Police. “We encourage anyone with information to get in touch with us.”
The replace got here after the British authorities on Thursday printed paperwork regarding Mountbatten-Windsor’s appointment as a commerce envoy in 2001. The authorities mentioned it had discovered no proof that the previous prince was vetted for the position, and the paperwork confirmed that his mom, the late Queen Elizabeth II, had pushed for his appointment to such a place. Mountbatten-Windsor stood down from the position in 2011 over his ties to Epstein.
Documents beforehand launched by the US Department of Justice appeared to point out that Mountbatten-Windsor had shared confidential materials with Epstein throughout his time as a commerce envoy. British commerce envoys are prohibited from sharing “sensitive, commercial, or political information” about related markets or visits.
However, detectives at Thames Valley Police are understood to be involved that the general public believes the power is concentrated solely on accusations that the previous prince shared info whereas serving as a commerce envoy, when actually the authorized phrases of the offense beneath investigation are a lot broader, Britain’s PA Media information company reported Friday.
The authorized definition of the offense can embody a variety of conduct, together with sharing confidential monetary info, monetary misconduct, wilful neglect of responsibility, and sexual misconduct, PA mentioned. It additionally covers corruption, improper interference, battle of curiosity, and different types of misconduct.
Thames Valley Police mentioned it was supporting different nationwide police forces in contacting Epstein’s victims and survivors.
“We hope that anyone with relevant information will come forward whenever they are ready to engage with us; our door is always open,” it mentioned.