British police investigating Prince Andrew and former government minister Peter Mandelson face a critical hurdle: the Trump administration has refused to hand over original Epstein documents without a formal request, a bureaucratic process that could delay or derail prosecutions entirely.
Thames Valley Police is investigating Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, King Charles's brother, for misconduct in public office over allegations he passed sensitive material to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein while serving as a UK trade envoy. The Metropolitan Police is separately investigating Mandelson, who held cabinet positions, on similar misconduct charges tied to claims he shared classified information with Epstein.
Both men were arrested and released on bail and are understood to deny wrongdoing.
The problem facing investigators is stark: prosecutors are reluctant to authorize charges based solely on redacted documents that have been published by the US Department of Justice. Law enforcement sources made clear that conviction prospects depend heavily on accessing the complete, unredacted files.
"It is difficult to make anything stick without those documents," one source said. "A lot rests on having the originals. It makes it significantly more difficult." A senior source added that the Crown Prosecution Service, which authorizes charges in England and Wales, finds it "very difficult" to move forward on prosecutions with the material currently available.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley made informal appeals to US officials, attempting to circumvent formal procedures. Those efforts failed. The Met has now submitted an official mutual legal assistance request to American authorities, triggering a lengthy bureaucratic process.
The Department of Justice, under Trump administration control, indicated it would not release original documents outside formal channels. That stance has forced British investigators down a path that could take months or longer.
Despite the document bottleneck, both police forces are moving ahead with witness interviews. Thames Valley Police is preparing to question people in royal circles. The Met is planning to interview current and former government officials, including potentially Gordon Brown, the former prime minister who has already expressed concerns about Epstein to police.
A gold group coordinated by the National Police Chiefs Council is overseeing the broader investigation into Epstein allegations across multiple British police forces. The body has appointed a senior detective to lead efforts, with analysts seconded from other agencies and support from the National Crime Agency.
Six police forces are also examining whether Epstein flights that landed at British airports warrant criminal investigation for potential human trafficking. The forces reviewing these cases are Bedfordshire, Essex, Norfolk, the West Midlands, the Met, and Police Scotland.
The BBC reported Friday that Epstein housed alleged abuse victims in London flats, with six women accusing him of sexual abuse. Some of these women were brought to the UK after the Metropolitan Police declined to investigate trafficking allegations brought by Virginia Giuffre in 2015.
On the European side, the EU's anti-fraud office announced it is investigating Mandelson for his conduct during his time as EU trade commissioner from 2004 to 2008. The office said it cannot comment further while the investigation is ongoing.
Author James Rodriguez: "Without those unredacted files, British prosecutors face an uphill battle, and the Trump administration's refusal to bypass red tape may be the difference between accountability and another dead end."
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