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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor — brother of Charles III and once one of the most privileged men in Britain — was arrested this week in a stunning twist tied to the fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein files. For the first time in nearly 400 years, a British royal has been taken in for questioning. The message from the Palace? “The law must take its course.” No titles. No deference. Just “a man in his sixties from Norfolk” released under investigation. Across the Atlantic, though, the picture looks very different. While authorities in the UK move forward, critics say accountability in the U.S. still feels out of reach — even after document dumps, public pressure, and years of unanswered questions surrounding Epstein’s powerful circle.

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A former prince is arrested in the UK with accountability in question in the US

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, pictured at Windsor Castle in April 2025, was arrested on Thursday.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, pictured at Windsor Castle in April 2025, was arrested on Thursday.
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Police officers who came for Britain’s fallen prince on his 66th birthday punctured the defining perception of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal: that wealthy elites are shielded from scrutiny because of who they are.

In America, accountability still seems elusive.

It doesn’t get much more elite than being the brother of King Charles III or the favorite son — according to insiders — of late Queen Elizabeth II. But blue blood did not spare Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from arrest in an investigation following the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

The spectacle of the former Prince Andrew being taken on Thursday from his new, downsized quarters in the British countryside to the grubby indignity of a police station escalated the gravest controversy to rock the royal family in generations.

Mountbatten-Windsor was questioned over suspicion of misconduct in office related to his time as a UK trade envoy. Previously, police said they were reviewing claims he had shared sensitive information with Epstein. Mountbatten-Windsor denied all prior wrongdoing but has not commented on the latest claims.

But his diminished reality was laid bare in the spare legalese of a police statement Thursday that said “a man in his sixties from Norfolk” had “been released under investigation.”

The principle that no one — not even the former Duke of York — is immune to the principle of equality before the law was reaffirmed in a statement by the King, notable for its icy distancing of the monarch from his brother.

“Let me state clearly: the law must take its course,” it said.

The US Capitol is reflected in water hours ahead of a press conference to discuss the Epstein Files Transparency Act on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on September 3, 2025.

The US Capitol is reflected in water hours ahead of a press conference to discuss the Epstein Files Transparency Act on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on September 3, 2025.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

Why accountability is lagging in the US

The first arrest of a British royal in nearly 400 years posed this question: If legal authorities in Britain and elsewhere in Europe can act independently and breach the protected circle around Epstein’s former network, why is there not a similar faith in the justice system in the US?

“Great Britain is holding its powerful and privileged to account. The United States of America should do the same,” Democratic Rep. Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts told CNN’s Kate Bolduan.

In the United Kingdom, the machinery of public investigation appears to be functioning as intended. It’s harder to make that claim with confidence in the US given the politicization of a justice system that has prosecuted President Donald Trump’s opponents and a president who pardoned hundreds of people convicted of crimes linked to the January 6, 2021, riot.

The Trump DOJ had to be forced into every act of disclosure. And the only person offered legal relief so far is Ghislaine Maxwell, who gave testimony absolving the president of wrongdoing in his dealings with her former companion — and was moved to a more lenient prison to serve her sex crimes sentence.

Victims of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein react as US Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on "Oversight of the Department of Justice" on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on February 11.

Victims of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein react as US Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on “Oversight of the Department of Justice” on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on February 11.
Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images

Amid an escalating campaign for justice by victims of Epstein, Trump has branded their trauma a “hoax.” He’s said it’s time for the country to move on. The performative outrage of Attorney General Pam Bondi, who last week refused to address Epstein survivors in a congressional hearing, epitomized the attitude of an administration only forced into releasing the Epstein files by a new law passed late last year amid a Republican revolt.

The core issue at the heart of the Epstein scandal

There is no evidence of wrongdoing by the president in connection with his past friendship with Epstein. Yet Trump’s desire to move on from the Epstein files — despite years of promising to release them — followed by his DOJ’s chaotic, opaque handling of the matter has repeatedly fueled doubt about his motives.

He’s hardly alone among prominent Americans — including former President Bill Clinton, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick — in facing questions about what they knew of Epstein’s behavior. On Wednesday, billionaire businessman Les Wexner, who helped facilitate Epstein’s luxurious lifestyle, gave a deposition to a congressional committee investigating the alleged sex trafficking ring.

Like Trump, none of these men have been accused by law enforcement of criminal wrongdoing. But past associations with Epstein have now begun to cost prominent Americans in business, big law and the business end of the entertainment industry. Some have lost their jobs. Others are defending their reputation.

President Donald Trump on Air Force One, on travel from West Palm Beach, Florida, to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on February 16.

President Donald Trump on Air Force One, on travel from West Palm Beach, Florida, to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on February 16.
Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters

The DOJ may be justified in insisting that there is insufficient evidence of wrongdoing to charge anyone with crimes over their ties to Epstein.

This does not, however, address the core issues in the scandal. Even if prosecutions aren’t possible, what about an accounting for scores of women allegedly abused by Epstein? If there was a sex trafficking ring operating in the United States, shouldn’t the government be investigating it, if only to ensure it never happens again? And isn’t the country owed answers about the circle of rich and influential people who continued to associate with Epstein even after his 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor.

These questions do not concern the Trump administration alone. There is no public evidence that the Biden administration pursued active inquiries into Epstein or his former orbit after his death.

A recurring lesson of the Epstein saga is that each effort Trump makes to close it down only seems to give it new political life.

But the disclosure of the material unleashed accountability. The British investigation into Mountbatten-Windsor, for example, followed the document dump. So did a separate criminal probe into former British ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson. The onetime cabinet minister is being investigated over claims he passed sensitive information to Epstein that would have been valuable on Wall Street. Mandelson in January said: “I want to say loudly and clearly that I was wrong to believe (Epstein) following his conviction and to continue my association with him afterwards. I apologize unequivocally for doing so to the women and girls who suffered.”

The Epstein files have also led to investigations in Norway and Poland.

US Representative Thomas Massie speaks during a press conference on the Epstein Files Transparency Act ahead of a House vote on the release of files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on November 18, 2025.

US Representative Thomas Massie speaks during a press conference on the Epstein Files Transparency Act ahead of a House vote on the release of files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on November 18, 2025.
Annabelle Gordon/Reuters

This all represents vindication for lawmakers who pushed for their release and for Epstein victims who stepped up their campaign last year.

Some Epstein survivors hope that Thursday’s stunning developments will fuel more disclosure in the US.

“It’s amazing. And it’s really, really something that all the survivors have been looking forward and working towards,” Marina Lacerda told CNN’s John Berman. “I just look at it, it’s insane how everyone’s taking action. And we are doing nothing in the United States.”

Lacerda’s story does not intersect with Mountbatten-Windsor’s, but she is a prominent voice in the victims’ movement.

In a coincidence of timing, the DOJ unveils a big move

While the British investigation into Mountbatten-Windsor is predicated on concerns about his role as a trade envoy, it could open windows into other areas of his life. Most tantalizingly, it could lean into what was known about his alleged activities inside the government and his family.

Since everything about the royals is huge news, every development in the case will refocus attention on the Epstein matter — and new contrasts with the way it’s being handled by the Trump administration.

Spencer Kuvin, a lawyer who represents nine Epstein victims, told “CNN News Central” that the most important breakthrough Thursday was “at least on behalf of the victims is that regardless of title, institution, social standing or power, that these men will be held to account.”

Thursday also offered some consolation to the family of the late Virginia Giuffre, to whom Mountbatten-Windsor reportedly paid millions of dollars in 2022 to settle a case in which she alleged sexual assault. “Today, our broken hearts have been lifted at the news that no one is above the law, not even royalty,” her family said in a statement. Mountbatten-Windsor said he had no recollection of ever meeting Giuffre and settled her lawsuit without admitting responsibility or wrongdoing.

A policeman stands at an entrance to Wood Farm on the royal family's Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, eastern England on Thursday, where former prince Andrew was arrested earlier in the day.

A policeman stands at an entrance to Wood Farm on the royal family’s Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, eastern England on Thursday, where former prince Andrew was arrested earlier in the day.
Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images

Yet hopes that investigations elsewhere could open a dam of accountability in the United States could only be dashed by Trump’s first comments about Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest.

“It’s really interesting, because nobody used to speak about Epstein when he was alive, but now they speak. But I’m the one that can talk about it, because I’ve been totally exonerated,” Trump said. “I did nothing. In fact, the opposite — he was against me, he was fighting me in the election, which I just found out throughout the last 3 million pages of documents.”

While the president regards the Epstein affair as a plot against him, women seeking recognition for wrongs they suffered as young girls are likely to be disappointed.

And the idea that the US justice system, like its British counterpart, could operate independently of the head of state — even if it causes him great embarrassment — is no longer credible.

As if to confirm this stark new American reality, the DOJ on Thursday unfurled a massive banner between two iconic columns on its Washington headquarters.

Staring out was a massive picture of Trump’s face.

They tracked 1.2 million babies for a decade — and the “meat myth” didn’t survive the data. A massive national study led by researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Israel’s Health Ministry followed infants from vegetarian, vegan, and omnivorous households — and found their growth by age 2 was nearly identical. Weight. Height. Head circumference. Across the board, babies raised in plant-based homes developed along the same trajectories as their meat-eating peers. The research, published in JAMA Network Open, analyzed health data from 2014 to 2023 — covering about 70% of children nationwide. In Israel, nearly 95% of babies attend government wellness clinics, creating one of the largest infant nutrition datasets ever examined. Yes, vegan infants showed slightly higher odds of being underweight in the first 60 days. But by 24 months? The difference disappeared. Stunting rates were low across all groups. No significant developmental gaps. Researchers say the key isn’t meat — it’s planning. Well-balanced plant-based diets, proper prenatal care, and nutritional guidance matter more than whether chicken or tofu is on the menu. And then there’s iron — the nutrient critics always point to. According to the researchers, plant foods like legumes often contain more iron than meat. While absorption differs, families who plan carefully appear to balance it out. The bigger warning? Ultra-processed food. Vegan junk food exists too — and that’s where real risk may lie. So if nearly 1.2 million data points show no developmental disadvantage… Why does the myth still persist? Full story in the comments.
They tracked 1.2 million babies for a decade — and the “meat myth” didn’t survive the data. A massive national study led by researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Israel’s Health Ministry followed infants from vegetarian, vegan, and omnivorous households — and found their growth by age 2 was nearly identical. Weight. Height. Head circumference. Across the board, babies raised in plant-based homes developed along the same trajectories as their meat-eating peers. The research, published in JAMA Network Open, analyzed health data from 2014 to 2023 — covering about 70% of children nationwide. In Israel, nearly 95% of babies attend government wellness clinics, creating one of the largest infant nutrition datasets ever examined. Yes, vegan infants showed slightly higher odds of being underweight in the first 60 days. But by 24 months? The difference disappeared. Stunting rates were low across all groups. No significant developmental gaps. Researchers say the key isn’t meat — it’s planning. Well-balanced plant-based diets, proper prenatal care, and nutritional guidance matter more than whether chicken or tofu is on the menu. And then there’s iron — the nutrient critics always point to. According to the researchers, plant foods like legumes often contain more iron than meat. While absorption differs, families who plan carefully appear to balance it out. The bigger warning? Ultra-processed food. Vegan junk food exists too — and that’s where real risk may lie. So if nearly 1.2 million data points show no developmental disadvantage… Why does the myth still persist? Full story in the comments.

Vegetarian and vegan babies develop at same rate as meat-eating peers – Israeli study Big-data study by Ben-Gurion…

A simple brain game cut dementia risk by 26% — even 20 years later. Not a miracle drug. Not a new surgery. Just targeted “speed” exercises that retrain how fast your brain processes information. A study published in the Alzheimer’s Association research journal found that participants who practiced specific brain speed exercises — and followed up with booster sessions — were significantly less likely to develop dementia two decades later. Here’s what makes it different: it’s not about memorizing word lists. It’s about forcing the brain to move faster. Training eye coordination. Expanding field of vision. Processing visual and auditory signals more quickly. According to Dr. Perminder Bhatia, when dementia begins, brain connections slow down. Signals weaken. Neurotransmitters decline. But when you repeatedly challenge processing speed, those connections strengthen and fire more efficiently. One example? Programs like BrainHQ’s “Hawk Eye,” designed to sharpen visual speed and reaction time. The idea is adaptation — pushing the brain slightly beyond its comfort zone so it rewires itself. Doctors recommend starting after 50. But the research suggests anyone can benefit. And in a world where dementia risk rises sharply with age, that 26% reduction isn’t small. It raises a bigger question: if something this simple can reshape brain aging, why aren’t more people doing it? Full story in the comments.
A simple brain game cut dementia risk by 26% — even 20 years later. Not a miracle drug. Not a new surgery. Just targeted “speed” exercises that retrain how fast your brain processes information. A study published in the Alzheimer’s Association research journal found that participants who practiced specific brain speed exercises — and followed up with booster sessions — were significantly less likely to develop dementia two decades later. Here’s what makes it different: it’s not about memorizing word lists. It’s about forcing the brain to move faster. Training eye coordination. Expanding field of vision. Processing visual and auditory signals more quickly. According to Dr. Perminder Bhatia, when dementia begins, brain connections slow down. Signals weaken. Neurotransmitters decline. But when you repeatedly challenge processing speed, those connections strengthen and fire more efficiently. One example? Programs like BrainHQ’s “Hawk Eye,” designed to sharpen visual speed and reaction time. The idea is adaptation — pushing the brain slightly beyond its comfort zone so it rewires itself. Doctors recommend starting after 50. But the research suggests anyone can benefit. And in a world where dementia risk rises sharply with age, that 26% reduction isn’t small. It raises a bigger question: if something this simple can reshape brain aging, why aren’t more people doing it? Full story in the comments.

How brain exercises can help lower the risk of dementia An error has occurred. Please contact support for…

DNA from the glove. DNA from inside the house. No hit in the FBI database. Now the community is on edge. Neighbors are installing cameras. A small vigil grows outside her home. One man who knew her from church said, “We’ve never gone through this before.” Meanwhile, investigators have reportedly reviewed firearm purchases tied to nearly two dozen individuals. Tips are flooding in. The FBI previously raised its own reward to $100,000 — before this anonymous boost doubled it. And then there’s the theory that’s raising eyebrows: a veteran private investigator now believes a cartel may be involved — but not that she was taken across the border. He points to the suspect’s behavior on camera, the backpack, even the holster. He believes she may still be somewhere north of Tucson. Authorities have not confirmed that theory. What we know: A missing grandmother. A masked figure on camera. No DNA match. $200,000 on the table.
DNA from the glove. DNA from inside the house. No hit in the FBI database. Now the community is on edge. Neighbors are installing cameras. A small vigil grows outside her home. One man who knew her from church said, “We’ve never gone through this before.” Meanwhile, investigators have reportedly reviewed firearm purchases tied to nearly two dozen individuals. Tips are flooding in. The FBI previously raised its own reward to $100,000 — before this anonymous boost doubled it. And then there’s the theory that’s raising eyebrows: a veteran private investigator now believes a cartel may be involved — but not that she was taken across the border. He points to the suspect’s behavior on camera, the backpack, even the holster. He believes she may still be somewhere north of Tucson. Authorities have not confirmed that theory. What we know: A missing grandmother. A masked figure on camera. No DNA match. $200,000 on the table.

Anonymous donation raises reward for help finding Nancy Guthrie to over $200,000 An anonymous donation to the Pima…

Scientists just discovered they can detect the Epstein-Barr virus using ordinary human genome sequencing data — the same data originally collected to study our own genes. And what they found could change how we understand cancer, autoimmune disease, and immune failure. Nearly 90–95% of adults worldwide carry EBV. It infects most people in childhood, then buries itself inside B cells for life. Quiet. Dormant. Untouchable. Until it isn’t. EBV has long been linked to cancers like Hodgkin’s lymphoma and autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis. But one major mystery remained: how much virus is actually circulating in the blood — and why does it spike in some people?
Scientists just discovered they can detect the Epstein-Barr virus using ordinary human genome sequencing data — the same data originally collected to study our own genes. And what they found could change how we understand cancer, autoimmune disease, and immune failure. Nearly 90–95% of adults worldwide carry EBV. It infects most people in childhood, then buries itself inside B cells for life. Quiet. Dormant. Untouchable. Until it isn’t. EBV has long been linked to cancers like Hodgkin’s lymphoma and autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis. But one major mystery remained: how much virus is actually circulating in the blood — and why does it spike in some people?

New method estimates Epstein-Barr virus in blood using standard genome sequencing data This electron microscopic image of two…

“You have no proof she’s not alive,” Nanos said. And he insists this is still a rescue mission — not a recovery. Then he spoke directly to whoever knows where she is. “Take her to a park. Take her to a hospital. Just let her go. It will work out better for you in the long run.” Seventeen days. No confirmed suspect. A glove with unknown male DNA. A pacemaker that went silent. And a family waiting.
“You have no proof she’s not alive,” Nanos said. And he insists this is still a rescue mission — not a recovery. Then he spoke directly to whoever knows where she is. “Take her to a park. Take her to a hospital. Just let her go. It will work out better for you in the long run.” Seventeen days. No confirmed suspect. A glove with unknown male DNA. A pacemaker that went silent. And a family waiting.

‘Just let her go’: Sheriff issues plea to suspect in Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos…

It starts so ordinary. An invite that says “siblings welcome.” Organic snacks. No nuts, no gluten. Kids laughing, balloons popping, sunlight pouring through the windows. One child has a mild cold. No one thinks twice. But measles doesn’t need drama to spread. It lingers in the air for hours. It infects up to 90% of the unvaccinated. And it moves silently at first. A week later, her daughter has a fever. Then a cough. Then a rash. She Googles. Posts in a mom group. Hopes it’s chicken pox. Hopes it’s the flu. By the time the pediatrician meets them in the parking lot wearing an N95 mask, it’s too late to pretend. Oxygen levels are low. Crackling in the lungs. An emergency room. Isolation. Pneumonia.
It starts so ordinary. An invite that says “siblings welcome.” Organic snacks. No nuts, no gluten. Kids laughing, balloons popping, sunlight pouring through the windows. One child has a mild cold. No one thinks twice. But measles doesn’t need drama to spread. It lingers in the air for hours. It infects up to 90% of the unvaccinated. And it moves silently at first. A week later, her daughter has a fever. Then a cough. Then a rash. She Googles. Posts in a mom group. Hopes it’s chicken pox. Hopes it’s the flu. By the time the pediatrician meets them in the parking lot wearing an N95 mask, it’s too late to pretend. Oxygen levels are low. Crackling in the lungs. An emergency room. Isolation. Pneumonia.

Illustration by The Atlantic The birthday-party invitation said “siblings welcome,” which means you can bring your 11-month-old son while…