UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has indicated that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor should appear before the US Congress to answer questions regarding his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“In terms of testifying, I have always said anybody who has got information should be prepared to share that information,” he told reporters.
“You can’t be victim-centred if you’re not prepared to do that,” he said. “Epstein’s victims have to be the first priority.”
The prime minister’s remarks follow the recent publication of new Epstein-related documents, which include photographs that appear to show Mountbatten-Windsor kneeling over a woman lying on the ground.
In November, Democratic members of Congress requested that Mountbatten-Windsor respond to questions as part of their investigation into Epstein.
At that time, Starmer said the invitation was something Mountbatten-Windsor needed to consider “personally”.
On Friday, the US Department of Justice released more than three million pages of Epstein-related material, six weeks after a deadline set out in legislation signed by US President Donald Trump.
No explanation has been provided regarding the circumstances surrounding the images showing Mountbatten-Windsor kneeling over an unidentified woman.
Two of the photographs show him touching the fully clothed woman on her stomach, while another image captures him looking directly into the camera.
The images appear to have been taken inside Epstein’s New York City townhouse. BBC Verify says the décor visible in the photographs aligns with other known images of the mansion’s interior.
The release of the photographs is likely to intensify scrutiny of Mountbatten-Windsor, who has been under sustained examination for years over his past relationship with Epstein. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Mountbatten-Windsor, previously known as Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, was stripped of his royal titles in October amid growing scrutiny of his connections to Epstein.
Separately, newly released emails also indicate that Epstein invited Mountbatten-Windsor to dinner with a 26-year-old woman, in correspondence exchanged between Epstein and someone identified as “The Duke”.
In the email, Epstein states that the woman would be in London in August 2010.
“The Duke” replies that he would be in Geneva “until the morning of the 22nd but would be delighted to see her” before asking: “Will she be bringing a message from you? Please give her my contact details to get in touch.”
He then asks Epstein whether there is “any other information you might know about her that might be useful to know?”
Epstein responds by describing the woman as “she [is] 26, russian, clevere [sic] beautiful, trustworthy and yes she has your email”.
The email exchange took place in August 2010, two years after Epstein, a billionaire financier, pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor.
He received an 18-month sentence after reaching a controversial agreement with prosecutors that allowed him to leave jail for up to 12 hours a day, six days a week, for work. He was released on probation after serving 13 months.
Mountbatten-Windsor has repeatedly denied any misconduct connected to Epstein, stating that he did not “see, witness or suspect any behaviour of the sort that subsequently led to his arrest and conviction”.
