Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said Prince Andrew should be willing to testify before the US Congress over his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, following the release of new images and documents connected to the financier.
Asked whether Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor should give evidence, Starmer said: “Anybody who has got information should be prepared to share that information.”
“You can’t be victim-centred if you’re not prepared to do that,” he added. “Epstein’s victims have to be the first priority.”
The comments came after the US Department of Justice released more than three million pages of documents related to Epstein, including photographs that appear to show Andrew kneeling over a woman lying on the floor. In some images, he is seen touching the woman, who is fully clothed, on her stomach, while another photograph shows him looking directly at the camera.
No context is provided for the images, and the woman has not been identified. BBC Verify said the decor visible in the photographs appears consistent with the interior of Epstein’s New York City mansion.
BBC News has contacted Andrew for comment. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
Democratic lawmakers in the US Congress requested in November that Andrew answer questions as part of their investigation into Epstein. At the time, Starmer said the decision was a personal matter for Andrew.
The former prince, previously known as the Duke of York, was stripped of his royal titles in October following renewed scrutiny over his association with Epstein.
Separate emails released in the latest document tranche show Epstein inviting Andrew to meet a 26-year-old woman in London in August 2010. In the exchange, Epstein describes the woman as “26, Russian, clever[e], beautiful, trustworthy”.
Andrew replies that he would be in Geneva until the morning of 22 August but would be “delighted to see her”, asking whether she would be bringing a message from Epstein and whether there was “any other information” that might be useful to know.
The messages were sent two years after Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor and was sentenced to 18 months in prison, of which he served 13 months under a work-release arrangement.
The emails do not indicate any criminal wrongdoing, and Andrew has previously said he did not “see, witness or suspect any behaviour” by Epstein that led to his conviction.
The document release also includes material suggesting Epstein provided financial assistance to Sarah Ferguson, Andrew’s former wife, over a period of years. Emails from 2009 show Ferguson discussing business ideas with Epstein and requesting £20,000 to cover rent payments, thanking him for his support.
Other correspondence indicates Epstein sought Ferguson’s help in defending his public image, asking a publicist to draft a statement in which she would say he was “not a pedo” and had been the victim of false allegations. Ferguson has been approached for comment.
Starmer was also questioned about documents showing Epstein transferred £10,000 in 2009 to Reinaldo Avila da Silva, the partner of Labour peer Lord Mandelson. Mandelson was appointed UK ambassador to the US in December 2024 but was removed less than a year later after it emerged he had exchanged supportive messages with Epstein following his conviction.
Da Silva thanked Epstein in emails for wiring the money, which was described as a loan. Mandelson said he had already been clear about his relationship with Epstein and had nothing further to add. Starmer said Mandelson was removed as ambassador after further information emerged last year.
The Justice Department release includes more than 2,000 videos and around 180,000 images, many of which are heavily redacted. Democratic members of the US House Judiciary Committee have requested immediate access to the unredacted files, citing concerns that only about half of the estimated Epstein-related documents have been made public.
Being named or pictured in the files does not imply wrongdoing. Many individuals referenced in previous releases have denied any involvement in Epstein’s crimes.
