Royal Protection Officers Instructed to Provide Security at Jeffrey Epstein's Lavish Dinner Party
Newly released emails suggest that taxpayer-funded Metropolitan Police bodyguards assigned to protect Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor were instructed to act as door security for a lavish celebrity dinner party at Jeffrey Epstein's New York mansion in 2010. This revelation emerges from the latest tranche of Epstein files released by the US Department of Justice, raising serious questions about the use of royal protection officers for private events hosted by a convicted sex offender.
Emails Detail Security Arrangements for Celebrity Gathering
According to emails first reported by The Sunday Times, two royal protection officers staying at Epstein's seven-floor Manhattan townhouse on 71st Street during the royal's visit were asked to provide security for a dinner party scheduled for December 2, 2010. The emails indicate that a member of Epstein's staff wrote the night before the event: "The Duke's 2 protection officers along with state security will all be here for tomorrow's dinner party... Rich has given them instructions on the door."
The reference to "state security" suggests that US diplomatic protection officers were also present at the gathering. "Rich" is understood to be a member of Epstein's team who coordinated the security arrangements. The guest list mentioned in the emails included prominent figures such as Hollywood director Woody Allen, his wife Soon-Yi Previn, news anchors Katie Couric and George Stephanopoulos, comedian Chelsea Handler, and talk show host Charlie Rose, though attendance remains unconfirmed.
Mounting Questions About Royal Protection Protocols
These findings come as the Metropolitan Police has urged former close protection officers who worked with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to "consider carefully whether anything they saw or heard" might be relevant to investigations into Epstein and his associates. The force is contacting both former and serving officers amid growing scrutiny over what they witnessed during their assignments with the royal.
Dai Davies, former head of the Royal Protection Command from 1994 to 1998, expressed astonishment at the situation, stating it "beggars belief" that police and officials working closely with the royal never observed any "untoward" behavior. He raised concerns about a potential "culture of silence" surrounding the former Duke of York's conduct, noting that many officers from that period have since retired and must now consult their "conscience and moral compass" about what they witnessed.
Broader Context of Ongoing Investigations
This revelation adds another layer to the ongoing investigations involving Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Last week, Thames Valley Police arrested and released him under investigation on suspicion of misconduct in public office, following allegations in the Epstein files that he shared sensitive information with Epstein while serving as the UK's trade envoy. The arrest occurred on his 66th birthday, with police detaining him for 11 hours of questioning before he was photographed leaving a police station in Aylesham, Norfolk.
Police have conducted searches at multiple locations, including Wood Farm on the King's Sandringham Estate where Mountbatten-Windsor currently resides, and his former home, the 30-room Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park that he shared with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson until recently. These searches are entering their fourth day as investigators continue to gather evidence.
Political and Constitutional Implications
The government is reportedly considering legislation to remove the disgraced royal, currently eighth in line to the throne, from the line of succession once police investigations conclude. Meanwhile, a group of MPs is contemplating a parliamentary probe into the role of UK trade envoys following the allegations against Mountbatten-Windsor, who was stripped of his royal titles amid the ongoing scandal surrounding his friendship with Epstein.
In 2022, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor paid a reported £12 million to settle a civil sexual assault lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre, who alleged she was trafficked by Epstein and forced to sleep with the royal on three occasions. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing throughout these various allegations and investigations.
