US Declines to Provide Unredacted Epstein Documents to UK Police Without Formal Request
British police investigating allegations against Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Peter Mandelson face challenges in obtaining unredacted documents from the US Department of Justice. The documents are needed for potential charges related to passing sensitive information to Jeffrey Epstein. Formal requests have been initiated after informal efforts failed.
Substrate placeholder — needs reviewBritish police are investigating allegations that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Peter Mandelson passed sensitive information to Jeffrey Epstein. The investigations involve claims of misconduct in public office. Thames Valley police is handling the case against Mountbatten-Windsor, who served as a UK trade envoy, while the Metropolitan police is investigating Mandelson, a former cabinet minister.
Both individuals have been arrested and released, and they deny wrongdoing.
The US Department of Justice has published redacted documents related to Epstein and his associates on its website. However, the department stated it will not provide the original, unredacted versions without a formal mutual legal assistance request.
British police, including through informal requests by Metropolitan police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley to US officials, have been unable to obtain the documents without this process. The Metropolitan police has now submitted a formal request for the documents as part of the Mandelson investigation.
Sources indicated that securing charges would be difficult without the original documents. The Crown Prosecution Service has been in discussions with the police forces involved.
Coordination Police are preparing to interview witnesses from royal and government circles. For the Mandelson case, this includes former and current government officials, potentially including former prime minister Gordon Brown, who has contacted the Metropolitan police regarding concerns about Epstein.
A national gold group coordinated by the National Police Chiefs Council met on Thursday to oversee the investigations. This group has appointed a senior detective and involved analysts from the National Crime Agency. Six police forces—Bedfordshire, Essex, Norfolk, the West Midlands, the Metropolitan police, and Police Scotland—are assessing whether flights linked to Epstein at British airports warrant criminal investigations for potential trafficking.
Friday, the European anti-fraud office, OLAF, announced an investigation into Mandelson covering his time as an EU trade commissioner from 2004 to 2008. A spokesperson for OLAF confirmed the investigation but provided no further details to protect confidentiality.
Also on Friday, the BBC reported that Epstein allegedly housed abuse victims in London flats, with six women accusing him of sexual abuse. Some women were brought to the UK after the Metropolitan police declined to investigate allegations from Virginia Giuffre in 2015.
Key Facts
Story Timeline
5 events- 2026-04-24
A national gold group hosted by the National Police Chiefs Council met to coordinate investigations into Epstein files allegations.
1 sourceThe Guardian - 2026-04-23
The European anti-fraud office announced an investigation into Peter Mandelson for his time as EU trade commissioner.
1 sourceThe Guardian - 2026-04-23
The BBC reported that Jeffrey Epstein allegedly housed abuse victims in London flats, with accusations from six women.
1 sourceThe Guardian - Recent weeks
British police launched investigations into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Peter Mandelson for alleged misconduct involving Epstein.
1 sourceThe Guardian - 2015
The Metropolitan police declined to investigate allegations from Virginia Giuffre about trafficking to London.
1 sourceThe Guardian
Potential Impact
- 01
UK prosecutors may delay or drop charges against Mountbatten-Windsor and Mandelson without US documents.
- 02
Witness interviews in royal and government circles could reveal additional details about Epstein's UK connections.
- 03
Investigations into Epstein-linked flights may lead to new trafficking probes at British airports.
- 04
OLAF's probe could result in findings affecting Mandelson's past EU trade commissioner role.
- 05
BBC report may prompt renewed scrutiny of Metropolitan police's 2015 decision on Giuffre allegations.
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