Meet the lawyers defending Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Peter Mandelson
The former Duke of York, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, has called on his trusty lawyer following his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in a public office on Thursday.
Blackfords’ Gary Bloxsome and Jennifer Richardson, alongside Matrix Chambers’ Clare Montgomery KC, have been instructed by Andrew in relation to legal troubles.
When the late Virginia Giuffre filed a civil lawsuit in New York against the former Prince for alleged sexual assault, Bloxsome led the UK defence, coordinating with US-based attorney Andrew Brettler.
The Giuffre case resulted in an out of court settlement.
Montgomery KC is a respected Silk who specialises in criminal, regulatory and fraud law. One of her previous clients was F1 magnate Bernie Ecclestone, after she defended him during his 2023 prosecution for tax fraud.
When news broke that Andrew had been arrested on his 66th birthday, Thames Valley Police confirmed that they had arrested a man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office, and that they were carrying out searches at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk.
When Andrew was taken into custody yesterday, his brother King Charles said in a statement: “Law must take its course.”
The former Prince has denied any wrongdoing.
“No further comment will be made in respect of any matter relating to Mr Mountbatten-Windsor,” says his legal firm.
Mountbatten-Windsor was released from custody on Thursday evening, but he remains under investigation.
His arrest also followed Sir Keir Starmer’s earlier assertion that “nobody was above the law”.
Scrutiny on the former senior Royal has intensified since the latest release of the Epstein files by the US Department of Justice.
Probe into Mandelson
This comes amidst reports that a criminal investigation was launched into former US Ambassador Peter Mandelson after his name was splashed across the latest bombshell drop of the Epstein files.
It has been reported that his long-term law firm of choice, Mishcon de Reya, is advising on the fallout from the secrecy he has faced since the latest Epstein files were released.
It is understood that the firm’s head of while-collar crime and investigations, Johanna Walsh, is on call for the former UK Ambassador to the US.