A woman who claims she was flown to the UK by paedophile Jeffrey Epstein to have sex with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor says she will ‘never’ speak to the police.
On Saturday night, a US lawyer for the unnamed woman – who alleges she spent a night with the former prince at Royal Lodge in Windsor – told The Mail on Sunday she does not want to ‘risk losing her privacy’ by making a formal complaint to detectives.
Attorney Bradley Edwards, who has represented more than 200 alleged Epstein victims, revealed in February that the woman, who was in her 20s at the time, claimed she was given a tour of Buckingham Palace and tea after spending the night with Andrew.
The bombshell allegation mirrored claims by Epstein abuse victim Virginia Giuffre, who said she was also brought to London to have sex with the former prince in 2001, aged 17.
Last week it emerged that while detectives have spoken to Mr Edwards, the woman had not formally reported her allegations to the police or been interviewed.
Now, Mr Edwards has revealed that she has decided not to pursue a criminal complaint, blaming the unwanted attention the case has brought.
He told the MoS: ‘She, and we as her representatives, are continuously harassed over the Prince Andrew thing, more than she or we have ever been over Epstein. She does not want to risk losing her privacy even more.’
The revelation comes amid claims that Thames Valley Police are struggling to build a case against Andrew, who was dramatically arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
A woman claims she was flown to the UK by the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein to have sex with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (pictured leaving Aylsham Police Station in February)
Andrew pictured over an unidentified woman in an image from the Epstein files
Detectives last week made an unprecedented public appeal for potential ‘victim survivors’ to come forward and stressed that Misconduct in Public Office is a complex and wide-ranging offence that can include corruption and sexual misconduct.
‘They are struggling to get the evidence they need, which is why they’ve broadened their appeal,’ one police source told The Times.
Officers have stressed that if the woman who was allegedly ‘taken to an address in Windsor in 2010 for sexual purposes’ makes a complaint to them ‘it will be taken seriously and handled with care, sensitivity and respect for her privacy and her right for anonymity’.
‘We recognise how difficult it can be to speak about experiences of this nature, and any contact with police will be led by her wishes,’ the force added.
Under UK law, people who allege they are victims of rape or other serious sexual offences receive lifelong anonymity.
It is a criminal offence to publish any information that might lead to the alleged victim being identified.
Last night’s news came amid reports that investigators are looking into another ‘incident’ involving the former prince, at Royal Ascot.
Thames Valley detectives are examining an allegation that Andrew behaved inappropriately towards a woman at the racing festival in Berkshire in 2002, when his mother, Queen Elizabeth, attended.
Andrew was photographed at the meeting, held near his former home at Sunninghill Park, alongside his daughter Beatrice and the then Prince Charles.
The Sunday Times reported that it was unclear whether the claim about Andrew’s alleged behaviour at Ascot was reported to police at the time or more recently.
He was arrested on his 66th birthday after emails released in the Epstein files suggested that while he was the UK’s trade envoy he forwarded confidential information to financier Epstein.
It is understood that Thames Valley Police’s investigation into Andrew is being resourced in the same way as a major crime probe, such as one for murder, and that specialist sexual offence investigators are part of the team.
