Amid all this week’s chatter about Charles Spencer’s new book, spare a thought—and perhaps a plaintive tune on the world’s smallest violin—for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
According to a report in the London Sunday Telegraph, the disgraced former prince is “living in limbo” as he awaits the conclusion of a police investigation that began in February, when he was arrested on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, where he now lives at the unattractively named Marsh Farm.
The Telegraph says that Andrew has hardly left the Sandringham estate since the beginning of the year. This contrasts with reporting by The Sun and biographer Andrew Lownie, who claim he has made regular trips abroad, including a holiday in the south of France and a private jet trip to Brittany. The latter supposedly took place at the end of May, a luxury weekend hosted by the Dubai-based billionaire Mohammed A. Baker, at his stud farm, MAB Stables, which is home to around 130 thoroughbreds.
The Telegraph, citing unnamed “sources close to Andrew,” says they “vehemently denied” the claims that he had been on holiday in the south of France. Nothing, however, was said about the trip to see his racehorse-owning buddy Baker, which was reported in detail by The Daily Mail. This is a funny sort of omission.
The paper says that Andrew has “barely” spoken to the king, but that he is in contact with his other siblings, Princess Anne and Prince Edward. It says he has been asked to maintain a low profile socially and that his “small social circle” is “ensuring that he flies under the radar.”
It says that he has had no contact from the police since the arrest on Feb. 19.
A source close to Andrew is quoted as saying: “While Andrew remains under investigation after being arrested by Thames Valley Police seven months ago, he has effectively been living in limbo. Although there are no formal conditions which prevent him from travelling, while this drags on he cannot really stray far from his home. He cannot live his normal life as the police investigation goes on. In the meantime, Thames Valley Police seems to be no nearer being able to prove an allegation of misconduct in a public office, for which Andrew was detained back in February.”
We must, of course, assume that this piece has been heavily influenced by intelligence from Andrew’s side. But what it says, basically, is that the investigation is going badly, largely because prosecutors cannot obtain original versions of emails. All they have are the versions published on the U.S. Department of Justice website, which were redacted and would be inadmissible in court.
An MLA (mutual legal assistance) request has sat with U.S. authorities for months after an earlier, less formal request for the documents was turned down.
Sources tell the Telegraph that the DOJ is reluctant to release any files because it might hurt Donald Trump, who was friendly with both Jeffrey Epstein and Andrew. The White House does not want to set a precedent by releasing unredacted documents, which could pressure the DOJ to release files about Trump.
The effect of this will be to confirm the suspicions of those who believe that Andrew, who has always denied any wrongdoing, is unlikely to see the inside of a courtroom, let alone a jail cell, any time soon. If police can’t get the original documentation, and what’s already published won’t suffice, then this case is likely going nowhere.
Andrew was stripped of his titles last year as evidence of his involvement with Epstein became clear, and it became clear that he had lied to the BBC and to palace officials about the extent and duration of his involvement with Epstein. He was arrested on the morning of his 66th birthday after being accused of leaking sensitive information to Epstein while a British trade envoy from 2001 to 2011.
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