British police contacting security officers who once protected former Prince Andrew

LONDON – British police on Feb 20 said they were contacting royal protection officers who might have information about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former prince, a day after

his arrest

amid scrutiny over his links to Jeffrey Epstein.

The announcement from the Metropolitan Police in London added that authorities were aware of suggestions that the city’s airports “may have been used to facilitate human trafficking and sexual exploitation”. A private jet used by Epstein was nicknamed the “Lolita express” and was said to have brought women into the country.

The investigation into Mountbatten-Windsor continued on a separate track on Feb 20, as officers from the Thames Valley Police searched a mansion that had been occupied until recently by the former prince in connection with allegations that he may have shared confidential government information.

Mountbatten-Windsor was questioned until late on Feb 19 at a police station in Norfolk, England, over accusations of misconduct in public office. This takes place when someone performing a job on behalf of the British public “willfully neglects to perform their duty” or “willfully misconducts themselves” in abusing the public trust. It carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment upon conviction.

A photograph of Mountbatten-Windsor

leaving the police building, looking apparently shell-shocked in the back of a vehicle, dominated the front pages of British newspapers.

Mountbatten-Windsor, who turned 66 on Feb 19, is a younger brother of King Charles III.

His arrest came after the US Department of Justice released millions of documents in January in connection with Epstein. Reports suggest that Mountbatten-Windsor may have shared confidential government information with the disgraced financier while serving as a British trade envoy.

Mountbatten-Windsor has not so far been charged.

In their statement on Feb 20, the Metropolitan Police said they were “identifying and contacting former and serving officers who may have worked closely, in a protection capacity, with Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor.”

The officers were being asked “whether anything they saw or heard during that period of service may be relevant to our ongoing reviews,” the statement added.

Close protection officers provide security for senior members of the royal family, giving them detailed knowledge of their meetings and travel schedules.

Mountbatten-Windsor, who has not spoken publicly or responded to requests for comment in recent months, has always denied any wrongdoing. NYTIMES