“Law must take its course,” King Charles remarked, after authorities arrested his brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on suspicion of misconduct in public office. This arrest, in relation to the Epstein Files, is the first time in modern history that a British royal has been arrested. The last time was in 1649, during the English Civil War, when King Charles I was executed.
The British Police have refused to release a statement about the investigation; however, previous reports indicate that Mountbatten-Windsor may have disclosed confidential government documents via email with Jeffrey Epstein while he was a trade envoy from 2001 to 2011. Additionally, the arrest marks a continuum of the mounting pressure on the former prince due to allegations of sexual abuse in the past.
Virginia Giuffre, one of the most famous survivors of Epstein’s sex trafficking ring, made repeated claims that the former prince had sexually assaulted her when she was traveling with Epstein and his girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell from 1999-2001. In 2019, during a bombshell interview with the BBC, Mountbatten-Windsor denied ever meeting her. However, contradictory evidence emerged, including a photo depicting Mountbatten-Windsor, 17-year-old Giuffre, and Maxwell with the former prince’s arm around Giuffre’s waist. Giuffre later said that she was forced to have sex with him hours after the photo was taken. Initially, he suggested that the photo was doctored and then changed his strategy and claimed that “we can’t be certain” it was his arm around her waist.
In 2021, Giuffre sued Mountbatten-Windsor under New York’s Child Victims Act, alleging that he had sexually assaulted her three times when she was a minor. In 2022, Mountbatten-Windsor settled the dispute out of court, paying an undisclosed amount estimated to be about 16 million dollars. Following this, the former prince stepped away from his royal duties and surrendered all his military titles and royal patronages to Queen Elizabeth. He was also evicted from the Royal Palace.
In the newest batch of Epstein Files, a 2015 email between Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell confirmed that the photo of Mountbatten-Windsor and Giuffre was real. Additionally, a new photo depicting the former prince kneeling over an anonymous woman on the floor was released. This, combined with a string of emails between the former prince and Epstein that were released, was enough evidence for the British Police to act swiftly and detain him.
Mountbatten-Windsor was detained for ten hours on February 19th and released later in the evening that same day. The Thames Valley Police stated that the case remains under investigation. The following day, the police searched Royal Lodge, a 30-room mansion where the former prince resided on Windsor Estate. If the police find evidence of a crime, they will send a file to the Crown Prosecution Service, which brings charges if there is enough evidence and a reasonable chance of a conviction.
With the whole world watching, the importance of this case cannot be understated. It sets an example that the U.K. will pursue justice and truth and that no one is above the law. It is emblematic of the incredibly potent aspect of democracy that everyone is equal under the eyes of the law. This case stands in stark, dystopian contrast to the United States’ lukewarm response to the confirmation of the depravity and pedophilia among the ranks of its elite.
It is estimated that the U.S. Department of Justice has released less than 1% of the heavily-censored Epstein Files. The DoJ has been accused of purposefully withholding evidence that would incriminate national leaders such as Donald J. Trump. Despite redacting many of the files, Trump’s name has shown up in them more than Jesus’s name in the Bible. Additionally, Trump stated in an interview that he had been friends with Jeffrey Epstein for over 17 years. While it is hardly surprising that a man who once claimed that he liked to walk into the changing rooms of teenage girls at pageants might be involved with sex-trafficking, the lack of accountability by our so-called Department of “Justice” is surprising and appalling.
Other big names from the U.S. found in the files include Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, and Noam Chomsky. However, no arrests outside of Epstein and Maxwell’s have been made in the U.S. Also, a public law mandating that the FBI release the interview of a woman who accused Trump of sexually assaulting her on the island has been blatantly ignored. This is held in direct contrast to the diligent response of the U.K.’s authorities to one of the top figures in their country.
One of the takeaways from the U.S.’s response, or lack thereof, to the Epstein Files is the sobering realization that our law is not protecting everyone. Now, more than ever, our Department of Justice is working to obscure, distract, and remove the identities of pedophiles who hold positions of power within our country. Despite the awareness of their disgusting actions, these men remain powerful in our country, protected by their connections and wealth. We have allowed corruption to fester in the highest branches of our country, and we have created a macrocosm where pedophilia and rape can be considered extraneous to someone’s political career. We have created an environment where Attorney General Pam Bondi can lie under oath and arrange a cover-up to help a rapist evade the law.
I hope one day there will be a reawakening of the American conscience, a country where infidelity used to be the biggest presidential scandal, and we will be capable of protecting our children and our reputation as the leader of the free world. To do this, we will need to take a page out of the U.K.’s book and treat no one as above the law. We need to demand accountability from our politicians and our law enforcement. As a country, we cannot afford to remain silent and complicit in pedophilia and sex-trafficking. Former Prince Andrew’s arrest serves as a blueprint for the rest of the world, one which I hope the U.S. will use to light the path towards justice and accountability.