The arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor comes nearly two weeks after British police searched two properties linked to Peter Mandelson, a veteran Labour politician, who is also under investigation for alleged misconduct in public office.
Mountbatten-Windsor and Mandelson are the highest-profile Britons facing police probes following the latest release of Epstein files by the US Department of Justice.
Mandelson, 72, has been accused of passing on market-sensitive information that was of clear financial interest to Epstein in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, when he was serving as Britain’s business secretary.
Mandelson, credited with sculpting the modern Labour Party, was fired as Britain’s ambassador to the US in October after an earlier release of Epstein files showed that he had penned the financier a birthday note in 2003, calling him “my best pal.” British media also reported that Mandelson told Epstein he felt “hopeless and furious” over his 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
The revelations prompted Prime Minister Keir Starmer to fire Mandelson as ambassador just months after he had appointed him. Mandelson’s removal marked the third time he was ejected from government due to his ties to wealthy individuals.
The DOJ’s release of additional files in January heaped further scrutiny on Mandelson’s dealings with Epstein while in government. Among the documents is an email exchange from 2009 in which Mandelson discussed Britain’s plans to impose an additional tax on bankers’ bonuses as a punitive, one-off measure following the crash.
On February 6, police searched an address in London and one in Wiltshire, southern England.
Mandelson has offered scant comment to British media since the latest revelations surfaced, and CNN has been unable to contact him.
Previously, he has said: “I want to say loudly and clearly that I was wrong to believe (Epstein) following his conviction and to continue my association with him afterwards. I apologize unequivocally for doing so to the women and girls who suffered.”