CPS Now Advising Police in Mandelson and Andrew Epstein Probes

The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed Wednesday it is "providing early investigative advice" to two police forces investigating Lord Peter Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor over alleged ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, signalling both cases are being treated with the gravity reserved for complex, high-profile prosecutions.

In its statement, the CPS identified the subjects only by age: "a 72-year-old man" in correspondence with the Metropolitan Police, and "a 66-year-old man" in its work with Thames Valley Police. Early investigative advice is a mechanism through which prosecutors guide detectives toward evidence capable of withstanding legal scrutiny, and its use suggests both probes have moved well beyond routine assessment.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested by Thames Valley Police on 19 February 2026, his 66th birthday, on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He was held at Aylsham Police Station in Norfolk, some 50 miles from Sandringham, and released "under investigation" roughly 11 hours later, meaning he has been neither charged nor exonerated. Officers searched Royal Lodge at Windsor in Berkshire and a Norfolk address. Thames Valley Police had been examining whether Andrew shared confidential trade reports with Epstein during his time as UK trade envoy, allegations he has denied. The NPCC gave the Home Office 30 minutes' notice before the arrest, described as "routine practice," and the detention was widely characterised as the first of a royal family member in centuries.

Lord Peter Mandelson, 72, was arrested six days later, on 23 February, at his Camden home and released on bail, a more constraining status than Andrew's release under investigation. Officers searched a Wiltshire address. His lawyers said the arrest was "prompted by a baseless suggestion that he was planning to leave the country and take up permanent residence abroad." He is accused of passing market-sensitive government information to Epstein while serving as European Trade Commissioner in 2003 and as Business Secretary from 2009 to 2010, with further allegations that Epstein funded his travel and that Mandelson sought his help with a banking deal while in cabinet. Known in political circles as the "Prince of Darkness," Mandelson was dismissed as UK Ambassador to the United States by Keir Starmer following the September 2025 release of documents by the US House Oversight Committee, then resigned from both the Labour Party and the House of Lords.

Both men face suspicion of misconduct in public office, an ancient common law offence carrying a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Legal experts have described it as "ill-defined, too broad and direly in need of reform," cautioning that despite CPS engagement, "we are still a long way away from a potential prosecution."

The same day, the NPCC established a new Gold Group chaired by Assistant Chief Constable Claire Bell to examine potential UK-based violence against women and girls offending within the Epstein files, working alongside the National Crime Agency.

Both probes now intersect with diplomacy. King Charles III's state visit to the United States, scheduled for late April to meet President Donald Trump, is proceeding despite calls from US Congressman Ro Khanna and the family of Virginia Giuffre, who died by apparent suicide in 2025, for Charles to meet Epstein survivors privately. Starmer deflected at Wednesday's press conference, citing the 250th anniversary of American independence as the visit's focus. Charles and Camilla are understood to be unable to meet survivors while UK police investigations remain active.

Spencer T. Kuvin, an attorney for Epstein's victims, said Andrew's February arrest may "restore some faith for those who believed justice was unreachable," urging the process remain "centred on survivors' dignity regardless of the fame, power or wealth of a potential perpetrator.