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LONDON (AP) \u2014 Britain\u2019s royal family is facing a fresh round of embarrassment after the latest release of documents from\u2026<\/p>\n
LONDON (AP) \u2014 Britain\u2019s royal family is facing a fresh round of embarrassment after the latest release of documents<\/a> from the U.S. investigation into Jeffrey Epstein revealed unsavory details about the relationship between the convicted sex offender and a correspondent who appears to be the man formerly known as Prince Andrew<\/a>.<\/p>\n Emails released by the U.S. Justice Department include an invitation for Epstein to dine at Buckingham Palace, Epstein\u2019s offer to introduce his correspondent to a 26-year-old Russian woman, and photos that appear to show Andrew kneeling over an unidentified person who is lying on the floor.<\/p>\n The revelations come three months after King Charles III stripped Andrew of his royal titles<\/a>, including the right to be called a prince, as he tried to insulate the monarchy from a steady stream of stories about his younger brother\u2019s relationship with Epstein that has tarnished the royal family for more than a decade. The former prince is now known simply as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.<\/p>\n As a result of that move, the damage from the latest emails is likely to be limited to Mountbatten-Windsor, said Craig Prescott, an expert on constitutional law and the monarchy at Royal Holloway, University of London.<\/p>\n The documents show that \u201cthey had to do something to separate Andrew from the rest of the family, and the nuclear option was the clearest way of doing it,\u201d Prescott said. \u201cAnd as more comes out, then you do feel that they have been justified.\u201d<\/p>\n The documents raise serious questions about Andrew\u2019s judgment, while offering a rare look at how some of the world\u2019s super elite behave behind closed doors, Prescott said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s sort of the things they do behind some of the most gilded doors in New York or London or wherever,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s the sort of things that on some occasions seem to be going on. And I think most people just think, wow, that\u2019s all very extraordinary.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n The disclosures have revived questions about whether Mountbatten-Windsor should cooperate with U.S. authorities investigating Epstein and his links to powerful individuals around the world.<\/p>\n British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday suggested Mountbatten-Windsor should tell American investigators whatever he knows about Epstein\u2019s activities. <\/p>\n \u201cIn terms of testifying, I\u2019ve always said anybody who\u2019s got information should be prepared to share that information in whatever form they\u2019re asked to do that, because you can\u2019t be victim-centered if you\u2019re not prepared to do that,\u201d Starmer said as he arrived in Japan to meet with the country\u2019s leaders.<\/p>\n Mountbatten-Windsor said in late 2019 that he was willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with its investigation into Epstein. However, previous documents released by the Justice Department show that in 10 months of emails and conference calls, Mountbatten-Windsor\u2019s lawyers rejected proposals for their client to be directly interviewed by federal prosecutors either in person or by video.<\/p>\n Instead, his lawyers asked that he be allowed to answer questions in writing, something they said would be permitted in British courts. Finally, on Sept. 23, 2020, prosecutors gave up on securing a voluntary interview and said they planned to ask the British courts to compel Andrew\u2019s testimony. There is no indication that Mountbatten-Windsor has ever provided such testimony. <\/p>\n The House Oversight Committee, which is investigating Epstein, in November asked Andrew to sit for a transcribed interview. <\/p>\n Mountbatten-Windsor has been dogged by his relationship with Epstein ever since 2008, when the wealthy financier pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution. In 2011, the late Virginia Giuffre<\/a> alleged that she had been trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sex with Andrew when she was 17.<\/p>\n He tried to stifle the controversy in a 2019 interview with the BBC, but the appearance only fueled the scandal when he was criticized for offering unbelievable explanations of his behavior and failing to show empathy for Epstein\u2019s victims.<\/p>\nA tarnished figure<\/h2>\n
A relationship under fire<\/h2>\n