Met making 'initial inquiries' into Andrew protection officers

The Metropolitan Police is carrying out "initial inquiries" into close protection officers formerly assigned to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.

It comes after an unnamed former senior Met protection officer told LBC that members of the Royalty and Specialist Protection (RaSP) may have "wilfully turned a blind eye" during visits to a private island owned by Jeffery Epstein.

Multiple survivors have alleged they were trafficked to and abused on the island, known as Little St James, which Epstein purchased in 1998.

In a statement, the Met said it had so far "not identified any wrongdoing" but that it was working to "establish the facts" around the allegations.

Speaking to LBC on Tuesday, the former Met protection officer claimed Andrew's protection team travelled with him to the private island on at least two occasions, including travelling on Epstein's private jet on one of those occasions.

The unnamed former officer said there were "real concerns" in the late 1990s and early 2000s that the "royal protection team became too close to their principals", and staff were "terrified" of being demoted.

Under the rules governing how police forces are held to account, the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) would carry out any further investigation should the initial Met assessment identify concerns.

Andrew's accuser Virginia Giuffre alleged she was made to have sex with Andrew on a number of occasions, including on Little St James in the early 2000s.

While Andrew reached a financial settlement with Giuffre, it did not constitute an admission of wrongdoing, and the former prince has always strenuously denied any offence.

Epstein was found dead in his prison cell on 10 August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges.

Multiple police forces across the UK have said they are assessing whether to launch investigations into Epstein-related allegations. They are:

• Thames Valley Police - assessing allegations that a second woman was sent to the UK by Epstein for a sexual encounter with the former prince
• Essex Police - examining flight logs and emails referencing Epstein's private jet using Stansted Airport
• Bedfordshire Police - assessing Epstein's use of London Luton Airport
• Met Police - launched a criminal investigation into Peter Mandelson, following claims he passed market-sensitive information to Epstein
• Surrey Police and Norfolk Constabulary - reviewing Epstein files but have not received specific allegations
• Wiltshire Police - reviewing its records and "cannot definitively say that we have not had any allegations at this stage"

The National Police Chiefs' Council said it had set up a national coordination group to support the number of forces carrying out enquiries.

Additional reporting by Chi Chi Izundu