Home Office civil servants were concerned Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor might take legal action against them if they cooperated with American investigators seeking his testimony about Jeffrey Epstein, newly released documents have suggested.
Emails contained within the Epstein Files suggest that Home Office civil servants believed the former prince could pursue High Court proceedings should they assist the FBI in compelling him to answer questions.
In 2020, the US Department of Justice submitted a formal mutual legal assistance request (MLA) to British authorities, seeking to force his cooperation.
However, this transatlantic request proved unsuccessful, and Mr Mountbatten-Windsor has never provided assistance to the FBI's Epstein investigation.
Home Office feared Andrew would launch legal action if they forced FBI cooperation
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Whitehall civil servants apparently thought that Blackfords, the law firm representing Mr Mountbatten-Windsor, would mount a legal challenge against any cooperation with American authorities.
One email from a redacted address, dated June 18, 2020, reads: "They [The UK Home Office] expect that once they approve the MLA and refer it to the police that the Blackfords will file a judicial review action.
"In that action, they believe Blackfords will claim that the Home Office failed to follow its internal guidelines on reserving MLA assistance to those instances in which voluntary cooperation is not possible.
"Blackfords will argue that since they have offered voluntary cooperation as recently as early June, the Home Office failed to properly apply its internal guidelines, and the court should direct the Home Office to vacate its approval of the MLA request and send it back to the US to engage on a voluntary basis with the Prince’s team."
The Home Office sign outside its building in Whitehall
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According to the Sun, the "voluntary cooperation" that was offered by Blackfords was a signed written statement by Mr Mountbatten-Windsor.
GB News has contacted Blackfords and Mr Mountbatten-Windsor for comment.
The American response to these legal concerns later that day was one of bewilderment, with prosecutors replying: "Can you discuss with the attache whether that is a normal approach (refusing to proceed because lack of predication)? All we want to do is ask some questions - do they really refuse to permit that, in an interview that would be happening regardless?"
Meanwhile, emails also appear to show that Mr Mountbatten-Windsor's solicitor, Gary Bloxsome, launched a fierce attack on American prosecutors on February 14, 2020, after they accused his client of offering "zero co-operation."
Copied in the email were Daniel Cundy and Jennifer Richardson, who also work at Blackfords with Mr Bloxsome.
Mr Bloxsome told the Department of Justice: "We and the Duke of York set out to assist your investigation when the DOJ asked for his help in January 2020.
The seal of the FBI hangs in the Flag Room at the bureau's headquarters
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"However, we regret to say that we have reached the conclusion that the DOJ's dealings with the Duke of York have not been designed to seek his assistance in investigating and prosecuting the targets of the investigation but instead have been used only to gather publicity for Mr Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York."
Geoffrey Berman, the US Attorney who led the investigation into Epstein in New York, claimed that British authorities protected the former prince in his 2022 book, Holding the Line.
Mr Bloxsome later appears to have added: "In England, prosecutors and investigators try to make sure that the investigation and trial of serious criminal cases take place in court and not in press conferences or publicity battles.
"When we complained about the way the Duke (and we) had been treated by the DOJ, you refused to apologise and you have now also gone back on your promise that any arrangements for the interview will be confidential.
Andrew was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office | REUTERS"We cannot advise the Duke to speak to prosecutors who cannot be trusted to deal with him fairly nor to treat what he says or does confidentially. He has reluctantly accepted our advice that, in those circumstances, there is no purpose to be served in continuing to try to assist further.
"Finally we have no wish to engage in any further publicity battle about the DOJ's conduct and for that reason we ask that you treat this email as private and confidential."
Following his widely criticised Newsnight appearance in November 2019, Mr Mountbatten-Windsor withdrew from public duties and gave up his princely title in 2025. In February, he was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office and was later released on investigation.
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
At the time, a Home Office spokesman stated: "Our thoughts remain with the victims of Epstein, who have lived with unimaginable trauma, and this government will do everything in its power to ensure accountability is delivered."