Andrew’s protection team 'did not know' Epstein was convicted paedophile during New York trip, officer claims

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Speaking out for the first time, Scott Hamer, who served as a senior protection officer for the royal family, told LBC that the former prince's close protection team could not have been expected to have been aware of Epstein's "local" conviction when he met the disgraced financier in 2010. 

Epstein was jailed in 2008 after admitting soliciting sex from girls as young as 14.

In December 2010, after the billionaire was released from prison, close protection officers from the Metropolitan Police accompanied the then Prince Andrew to Manhattan.

During this visit, an infamous photo emerged of Andrew and Epstein walking together in Central Park.

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In an interview with Emily Maitlis on BBC Newsnight in 2019, Andrew claimed he travelled to the US to personally terminate their friendship.

Eyewitnesses reported young women were seen entering and leaving Epstein’s property during that period. Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing and allegations of sexual misconduct. 

Mr Hamer told The Crime Agents podcast: “I suspect that for most of his protection team at the time, Jeffrey Epstein would have just been one of the people that he was connected with. They probably wouldn't have even known who he was at that time.

"My understanding is that conviction was in a court in Florida.

"This is not taking anything away from it, but, you know, that was localised, it wouldn't have been a national issue, I think, so the officers might not have been aware of that [given] it's a local court decision.

“If the principal was conducting their business, the protection officer’s business is to wrap security around that. 

“Is it against the law to meet a convicted paedophile? No, it's not. Is it immoral? Yes.

"So as long as the officers are working within the law. But again, at that time, I don't think that they would have known who Jeffrey Epstein was.”

The revelations come after LBC revealed in February that some members of the close protection unit “may have turned a blind eye” to what they witnessed on Epstein’s private island, Little Saint James.

Mr Hamer, who did not accompany Andrew when he visited the Caribbean island on at least two occasions, said he never saw anything illegal while protecting Andrew, but that it is not the job of a protection officer to be “the moral police”.

On one occasion, in 2002, the protection officer escorted Andrew to a house in London where Ghislaine Maxwell was present. 

“I don’t think for one minute that any protection officer saw anything that was illegal - that would have been flagged up,” he added.

Mr Hamer said the vast majority of protection officers were professional, but admitted some members of the close protection unit at the Met may have become “too close” to their principals.

He said: “There were people on both sides of the protection, on the ministerial, the Special Branch and Royalty unit, who I would say probably were over-familiar or had been around a long, long time and maybe thought that, you know, they were part of the furniture and they were part of the principal's team rather than the Met.

”A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: “The Met is identifying and contacting former and serving officers who may have worked closely, in a protection capacity, with Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor.

"They have been asked to consider carefully whether anything they saw or heard during that period of service may be relevant to our ongoing reviews and to share any information that could assist us.

"While we are aware of the extensive media reporting and commentary about this matter, as of today, no new criminal allegations have been made to the Met regarding sexual offences said to have occurred within our jurisdiction.

"We continue to urge anyone with new or relevant information to come forward. All allegations will be taken seriously and, as with any matter, any information received will be assessed and investigated where appropriate.

"The action outlined above is independent of investigations or assessment work being carried out by other forces.

"We are working with the national coordination group which has been set up to bring together affected forces to ensure consistency of approach, including access to appropriate expertise and guidance."