The Metropolitan Police has announced it is expanding its investigation into Prince Andrew by contacting all his former protection officers and reviewing airport flight records for potential human trafficking linked to Jeffrey Epstein.
Officers who worked closely with the Duke of York have been asked to 'consider carefully whether anything they saw or heard' during their service may be relevant to ongoing reviews. The Met is also examining claims that London airports, including Heathrow, Biggin Hill, and RAF Northolt, were used by Epstein-linked flights to traffic women.
This development is separate from the investigation that led to Andrew's arrest on Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office, but underscores the complexity of multiple police inquiries into his relationship with the disgraced financier.
The National Police Chiefs' Council is coordinating eight different forces investigating matters arising from Andrew's association with Epstein. Police are seeking unredacted documents from the US Department of Justice, with some forces planning to use artificial intelligence to process millions of files.
In a related political move, the government said it would consider legislation to remove Andrew from the line of succession once police investigations conclude. Andrew spent 11 hours in a Norfolk police station on Thursday, and Thames Valley Police searched his former home at Royal Lodge for a second day on Friday.
