Police assess allegation Epstein sent second woman to UK for sex with Andrew

Thames Valley Police says it is assessing allegations, reported by the BBC, that a second woman was sent to the UK by Jeffrey Epstein for a sexual encounter with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

The encounter allegedly occurred at the former prince's residence, Royal Lodge, in 2010. The woman, who is not British, was in her 20s at the time.

Her lawyer, Brad Edwards, has previously told BBC News: "We're talking about at least one woman who was sent by Jeffrey Epstein over to Prince Andrew."

The BBC asked Mountbatten-Windsor for comment about the allegations when it was first reported, but he is yet to respond, and has previously strongly denied any wrongdoing.

In a statement, Thames Valley Police said it was "aware of reports about a woman said to have been taken to an address in Windsor in 2010 for sexual purposes.

"We are assessing the information in line with our established procedures."

The statement added: "We take any reports of sexual crimes extremely seriously and encourage anyone with information to come forward.

"At this time, these allegations have not been reported to Thames Valley Police by either the lawyer or their client."

The anti-monarchist campaign group Republic earlier said it had reported Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to the police over allegations that "he was involved in the trafficking of a woman to the UK for sex".

Edwards, whose US law firm has been representing Epstein victims since 2008, said that after spending the night with Mountbatten-Windsor, the woman says she was given tea and a tour of Buckingham Palace.

The Palace routinely records the names of tour guests, but it has not been possible for the BBC to corroborate the woman's visit without revealing her identity.

Her account of spending the night at Royal Lodge is the first time an Epstein survivor has alleged a sexual encounter occurred at a royal residence.

In 2014, the late Virginia Giuffre became the first woman to publicly accuse Mountbatten-Windsor of similar encounters.

She alleged that as a 17-year-old she was trafficked by Epstein and his girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, and forced to have sex with Mountbatten-Windsor - a claim he continues to deny.

Virginia filed a civil lawsuit in the US against him in 2021, settling the case in February 2022 for an estimated £12m. She took her own life last year.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is facing growing criticism over his relationship with Epstein after the latest tranche of files related to the late sex offender.

The documents released on Friday included pictures of him kneeling on all fours over a woman lying on the ground, while other files repeatedly reference him.

A number of exchanges between Epstein and Mountbatten-Windsor came in the years after the US billionaire pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor.

Epstein died in a New York prison cell on 10 August 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges.