Sir Keir Starmer has said “nobody is above the law” when asked about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor but declined to say if the former prince should volunteer himself to UK police.
“I think that’s a matter for the police, they will conduct their own investigations, but one of the core principles in our system is that everybody is equal under the law and nobody is above the law,” he told BBC Breakfast.
“It’s a very important principle of our country… and it has to apply in this case in the same way it would in any other case,” he added.
Police are currently considering allegations against Andrew, who has consistently and strenuously denied any wrongdoing.
Starmer added if MPs in Parliament wanted a debate on Mountbatten-Windsor’s links with Jeffrey Epstein he “wouldn’t stand in the way”.
The prime minister’s comments are the latest development in the aftermath of millions of released files revealing Mountbatten-Windsor’s close relationship with Epstein.
The latest tranche of files last month included pictures of him kneeling on all fours over a woman lying on the ground, while other files repeatedly reference him.
The encounter allegedly occurred at the former prince’s residence, Royal Lodge, in 2010. The woman, who is not British, was in her 20s at the time.
The woman’s lawyer, Brad Edwards said after spending the night with Mountbatten-Windsor at the Royal Lodge in 2010, the woman alleges she was given tea and a tour of Buckingham Palace.
In his interview with Breakfast on Thursday morning, Starmer also repeated previous comments he made, suggesting Mountbatten-Windsor should testify in front of US Congress.
“Anybody who has any information should testify. So, whether it’s Andrew or anybody else, anybody whose got relevant information should come forward to whatever the relevant body is,” he said.
Following the release of photos and further email correspondence between Mountbatten-Windsor and Epstein, the former prince moved out of his home in Windsor to the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.
A number of exchanges between Epstein and Mountbatten-Windsor revealed they were still in touch in the years after the US billionaire pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor.
Epstein died in a New York prison cell on 10 August 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges.
Nine police forces across the UK have confirmed they are assessing whether to launch investigations into Epstein-related allegations.
In particular, the Metropolitan Police said it was carrying out “initial inquiries” into allegations relating to close protection officers formerly assigned to Mountbatten-Windsor.
A former senior Met protection officer told LBC members of the Royalty and Specialist Protection (RaSP) may have “wilfully turned a blind eye” when visiting Epstein’s private island.
In a statement, the Met said it had “not identified any wrongdoing” but “initial enquiries into these specific allegations have begun so we can establish the facts”.
Pressure has been growing on Andrew to testify in the US about his links to financier Epstein. Last week, US officials and the family of his prominent accuser Virginia Giuffre called on him to testify.
In 2014, the late Virginia Giuffre alleged that as a 17-year-old she was trafficked by Epstein and his girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, and forced to have sex with Mountbatten-Windsor – a claim he denies.
Giuffre filed a civil lawsuit in the US against him in 2021, settling the case in February 2022 for an estimated £12m. She took her own life last year.
