The transatlantic Epstein divide

Schadenfreude isn’t a particularly noble sentiment. But who cares, eh? These days bad things never seem to happen to bad people; accountability is fleetingly rare. So I think we should all take a moment to really appreciate how glorious the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on suspicion of misconduct in public office on Thursday was. Not only was the disgraced royal dragged in for questioning like a mere commoner; the arrest happened on his 66th birthday. Instead of birthday cake, he got his just deserts. And, to top things off, the occasion was immortalized with a photo – an instant classic – of Andrew leaving the police station looking shell shocked and decrepit.

Mountbatten-Windsor has now been released from custody, but the investigation into allegations he shared confidential information with Jeffrey Epstein is ongoing. King Charles has said the “law must take its course” and the head of the Crown Prosecution Service has said that “nobody is above the law”.

Lovely as that last sentiment is, it’s not entirely true. If the law really were enforced evenly, then I think Andrew would have found himself in legal trouble a long time ago. Nobody, not even the king, seems to be quite sure how the former prince has managed to fund his extravagant lifestyle over the years. There has long been speculation that he abused his role promoting British trade abroad for personal gain, though he denies the claims. And when the late Virginia Giuffre brought a civil case against Andrew in New York in 2021, alleging he sexually assaulted her when she was 17 (allegations he denies), he managed to get his hands on £12m (more than $16m) to settle the case with no admission of liability. The reason the disgraced royal is being investigated now isn’t because the system is seamlessly working as it should; it’s because of the release of the Epstein files after Giuffre spent years bravely telling her story and trying to get justice. And, of course, she died before justice could be delivered. No formal police investigation in the UK followed her claims.

Still, while this royal reckoning may be a long time coming, we must take our victories where we find them. And the fact that, in the UK, the king’s brother is being seriously investigated for wrongdoing is undoubtedly a victory. Particularly as the royal isn’t the only high-profile Brit who has found himself in serious trouble over Epstein. Peter........

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