Police searches of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s former home on the Windsor estate in Berkshire continued on Sunday as a British government minister did not rule out having a judge-led inquiry into the former prince’s links with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Education secretary Bridget Phillipson did not rule out such an inquiry but said it was premature because of the police investigation.
A senior Conservative MP, the former security minister Tom Tugendhat, said Mountbatten-Windsor should face a parliamentary treason investigation over his links with the disgraced financier.
Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on Thursday, his 66th birthday, on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
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He was detained and questioned at a police station for 11 hours concerning allegations he had shared sensitive information with Epstein during his time as the UK’s trade envoy.
Several public figures have called for a wider investigation into his past dealings with Epstein. Many have also called for Mountbatten-Windsor, who remains eighth in line to the throne, to be dropped from the line of succession.
Royal sources have indicated that King Charles would not stand in the way of parliament if it wanted to ensure Mountbatten-Windsor could never ascend to the throne.
Asked by Trevor Phillips on Sky News when there would be legislation to drop the former prince, Phillipson replied: “We are not ruling anything out around this, but we have obviously got a live police investigation under way, so we’ll not be setting out further steps until the police have been able to do their work.”
On the question of a judge-led inquiry, Phillipson said: “We’ll look at any sensible proposals that do come forward. But it’s premature at the moment, because we do have the police doing their work.
“They need to have the time and space to do so. As the king set out, no one is above the law and it’s right that the police go wherever the evidence takes them, so that has to be the focus at the moment.”
The search by Thames Valley Police of Mountbatten-Windsor’s former mansion home, Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, began on Thursday and continued on Sunday. It is expected to be completed on Monday.
Separately, the Metropolitan Police said it was identifying and contacting officers who served as protection officers to Mountbatten-Windsor over the years.
“They have been asked to consider carefully whether anything they saw or heard during that period of service may be relevant to our ongoing reviews and to share any information that could assist us,” said a Met spokesperson.
A former head of royal protection, Dai Davies, said it was “inconceivable” that Mountbatten-Windsor’s former guards would not have information.
“They would have gone to all the five residences we’ve been talking about ... in the United States Virgin Islands, New Mexico and Florida. It’s inconceivable to me, I’m sad to say, that nobody saw anything.”
Tugendhat said a special committee of MPs, peers and retired judges should be set up to investigate the links to Epstein of Mountbatten-Windsor and Peter Mandelson.
He told the Sun on Sunday: “This affair raises urgent questions about foreign influence and national security. What did the palace know? What did ministers know? What else is being hidden?”
There is widespread agreement that the escalating crisis could have far-reaching implications for the institution of the monarchy and the commonwealth.
Nothing has been seen of Mountbatten-Windsor since he was pictured slumped in the back of a Range Rover as it left Aylsham police station in Norfolk on Thursday evening.
After his younger brother’s arrest, the king said in a statement that “the law must take its course” and the police had “our full and wholehearted support and co-operation”.
The wider royal family have continued to conduct their duties as normal.
Mountbatten-Windsor has denied any wrongdoing over his links to Epstein but has not directly responded to the latest allegations. – Guardian
