The publication of a new tranche of Epstein-related material — packed with allegations of trafficking and abuse involving a range of high-profile figures — has triggered strikingly different reactions on either side of the Atlantic.
In the US, the Department of Justice has released a vast cache of documents connected to Jeffrey Epstein. While the disclosures have renewed scrutiny of those who mixed with — and, in some accounts, enabled — the late financier and convicted sex offender, the release has not so far led to any widely reported arrests.
In the UK, coverage has been dominated by claims that sensitive information was exchanged between Epstein and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, and also linked to Labour peer Peter Mandelson. Those reports have fuelled fresh demands for accountability and a tougher response from authorities.
At the same time, British media reports say the pressure around Mountbatten-Windsor has intensified further, with suggestions he is now the subject of criminal scrutiny relating to his period as a UK trade envoy, alongside wider allegations tied to Epstein.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, 66, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing or criminality in connection with Epstein. Even so, his reputation has taken a major hit in recent years.
Much of that reputational collapse traces back to 2019, when he gave a widely criticised BBC Newsnight interview while responding to allegations made by Epstein survivor Virginia Giuffre.
The interview drew intense public attention and reignited long-running questions about his association with Epstein, including the period after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting child prostitution.
The fallout ultimately saw him lose official roles and titles, step back from duties, and leave Royal Lodge in Windsor amid continuing controversy.
Reports have since said he has been living at a smaller property on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk — and that even some of his everyday routines have been curtailed.
In Windsor, he was often photographed riding around the grounds, one of the few pastimes he appeared to maintain while largely out of public view.
But according to reports in The Sun, even that outlet has now been restricted at his current location.
The paper claims he has been told not to continue horse riding in Norfolk, amid concerns about optics and the prospect of further photographs circulating.
That reported shift comes as photographers and the public have seen very little of him recently, with only one image said to have emerged since Thursday (February 20).
An insider told the publication: “Since his arrest last week he has been ordered not to go horse riding. It’s considered a bad look.
“They don’t think he should be seen grinning and smiling on his horse like he was in Windsor.
“But it was one of the few things he actually enjoyed doing so what on earth is he going to do with his time?”