By Max Colchester
LONDON -- On Monday, as fresh disclosures about ex-Prince Andrew's dealings with Jeffrey Epstein dominated headlines in Britain, the former duke went for a ride on his horse outside his 30-room stately residence in Windsor.
The jarring images of the king's brother astride a steed sparked an immediate reaction in Buckingham Palace. Tuesday evening, under the cover of darkness, a car shipped him out of Royal Lodge in Windsor to begin the next chapter of his life in a farm house in a remote part of eastern England.
Palace officials say that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor -- he lost his right to a title due to fallout from the scandal -- will be back to collect his belongings in the coming weeks.
The latest tranche of Epstein disclosures are proving the final nail in the coffin for the man who was Prince Andrew, a demise that has rolled forward in slow motion ever since allegations that he curried favor with Epstein, even after he was a convicted sex offender, became public.
The millions of files released recently by the Justice Department provided a further, damaging insight into that friendship. In August 2010, Epstein and Andrew traded emails, with the financier appearing to organize a visit to "The Duke" by a 26-year-old woman. "Any other information you might know about her that might be useful to know?" Andrew asked. Epstein replied: "she 26, russian, clevere (sic) beautiful, trustworthy and yes she has your email." Around the same time Andrew appeared to bemoan life in damp Britain. "God it's cold and dank here! Wish I was still a pet in your family!"
Mountbatten-Windsor, who has repeatedly denied wrongdoing in connection to Epstein, didn't answer an email seeking comment.
This week, British police said they were reviewing fresh allegations against the former prince. "We are aware of reports about a woman said to have been taken to an address in Windsor in 2010 for sexual purposes. We are assessing the information in line with our established procedures, " a statement from Thames Valley Police said, adding that the allegations had not been reported to the police by the alleged victim.
Mountbatten-Windsor has previously denied separate sexual-abuse allegations by Virginia Giuffre, who was 17 when she was introduced to him by Epstein in 2001. In 2022, Andrew settled a federal lawsuit filed by Giuffre for an undisclosed amount. She died by suicide last year.
The 65-year-old had already last year been stripped of the title "prince, " barred from using the title "Duke of York" in public and ordered to vacate the Royal Lodge to go and live in a smaller abode on the king's private estate in Sandringham. That departure wasn't expected for several months as works were under way to renovate a suitable cottage on the estate. Last week's latest release of Epstein files appears to have expedited the house move.
Mountbatten-Windsor's departure came as the British establishment continued to be convulsed by the disclosures that showed how Epstein, shortly after being released from a U.S. jail in 2009 after pleading guilty to procuring minors, was being given privileged access to the upper echelons not only of the British monarchy but also the U.K. government.
Police in the U.K. launched an investigation this week after emails appeared to show that in 2009, then business secretary Peter Mandelson forwarded a market-sensitive Downing Street memo to Epstein. Mandelson, a well-known figure in Britain's Labour Party, also appeared to confirm to Epstein the timing of a 500 billion euro bailout for the Eurozone during a sovereign-debt crisis in 2010.
The scandal is now ricocheting onto Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who appointed Mandelson as Britain's U.S. ambassador in 2024, despite his prior links to Epstein being public information. On Wednesday Starmer said that Mandelson had "lied repeatedly" about the extent of his friendship with the financier. Mandelson was removed from his role as ambassador last year after emails came to light showing that he maintained contact with Epstein far longer than previously known.
Mandelson hasn't commented publicly since Sunday, when he apologized to Epstein's victims. He has quit the House of Lords and the ruling Labour Party.
Starmer has promised to disclose documents showing the vetting that Mandelson was subjected to ahead of his appointment. He has also urged Mandelson and Mountbatten-Windsor to provide evidence to the U.S. House Oversight Committee.
"I regret appointing him," Starmer said.
Write to Max Colchester at Max.Colchester@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 04, 2026 11:22 ET (16:22 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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