A former royal protection officer has accused Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor of calling staff "f*****g imbeciles" and claimed the Metropolitan Police attempted to silence him after he spoke publicly about the former royal bringing unidentified women into Buckingham Palace.
Paul Page, who served in the royal protection unit between 1998 and 2004, received correspondence from Deputy Assistant Commissioner Jon Savell in December reminding him of his duties regarding "confidentiality and respect for the privacy of those who are protected".
The communication, bearing counterterrorism policing branding, arrived after Page disclosed that officers were prohibited from logging the identities of Andrew's female visitors.
"It's trying to say, in the nicest possible terms, 'can you shut up?'," Mr Page stated.
Paul Page has claimed Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor called former royal protection officers 'f*****g imbeciles'
| REUTERSThe former officer had revealed that women were escorted to Andrew's private palace quarters without standard security checks being conducted.
Mr Page first made these allegations in 2008 when facing charges over a £3million investment fraud connected to a spread betting operation he ran from within the palace grounds.
His defence statement detailed alleged security lapses at Buckingham Palace involving Andrew during the period from 1997 to 2003, referencing multiple women the former prince supposedly entertained privately.
Among those named was Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite currently serving two decades in an American prison for trafficking underage girls for Jeffrey Epstein.
According to Mr Page, female visitors arrived at various hours without undergoing proper security procedures, while protection officers received instructions to leave their positions and transport some guests home.
Staff members who raised concerns faced verbal abuse, he claimed.
The Metropolitan Police has never conducted a comprehensive investigation into his assertions.
Paul Page has claimed that Jon Savell sent him a letter asking him in essence to "shut up"
|GETTY
Mr Page defended his former colleagues in the protection command, insisting they were mistreated by Andrew and focused on their duty of keeping him safe rather than monitoring his personal conduct.
"They're not his friend and he's not their friend, that's the first thing. He was rude, called us 'f*****g imbeciles'," Mr Page said.
He argued that officers witnessing women at gatherings could not reasonably have identified them as trafficking victims, describing them as "good officers with exemplary records".
The former officer expressed bewilderment at receiving the warning correspondence, noting he had been making identical statements publicly for years.
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Mr Savell's letter stated that breaching confidentiality obligations "undermines officers who serve to protect members of the royal family and casts unnecessary doubt over their trustworthiness and integrity".
Scotland Yard announced on Friday that it was reaching out to both current and former protection officers assigned to Andrew, requesting any pertinent information they might possess.
This development followed sustained pressure and disclosures emerging from the release of documents relating to convicted paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The Met has confirmed they are reaching out to royal protection officers
| GETTYThe appeal came amid allegations that officers had turned a "blind eye" during trips to Little Saint James, Epstein's private Caribbean island.
A former senior Met protection officer, speaking anonymously, indicated that Andrew's security detail accompanied him to the island on at least two occasions, including one journey aboard Epstein's private aircraft.
Documents from the Epstein files disclosed that two officers remained at the financier's New York residence for over a week in 2010, following his conviction for child sex offences.
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