A former royal protection officer who reported Andrew Mountbatten–Windsor to the police over claims he smuggled women ‘multiple times a week’ into Buckingham Palace says he has been told to ‘keep quiet’ by the Met.
Paul Page, who served between 1998 and 2004, said that officers working for the former Duke of York were ‘not allowed’ to know the names of the girls who visited him.
He has spoken publicly about the claims, adding last week he has been in contact with Thames Valley Police and offered to assist them with their investigation.
It follows allegations one woman was allegedly flown into the UK on Jeffrey Epstein‘s ‘Lolita Express’ and brought to the former prince under the codename ‘Mrs Windsor’.
Mr Page has now revealed he received a warning from the capital’s police force, reminding him of his obligations of ‘confidentiality and respect for the privacy of those who are protected’.
The letter from Jon Savell, a deputy assistant commissioner who leads the Met’s security and protection command, was headed with the counter–terrorism policing logo.
It was sent in December last year after Mr Page said Andrew had smuggled unidentified women into his private apartment at Buckingham Palace.
Paul Page, who served between 1998 and 2004, said that officers working for the former Duke of York were ‘not allowed’ to know the names of the girls who visited him
Andrew Mountbatten–Windsor leaves Aylsham Police Station after he was released from custody on Thursday
Mr Page told The Times: ‘It’s [the letter] trying to say, in the nicest possible terms, “can you shut up?”.’
He also questioned why the Met sent him the warning letter when they did as he has ‘been saying the same thing publicly for years’.
Earlier today, the Met Police urged former close protection officers to Andrew to ‘consider carefully whether anything they saw or heard’ may be relevant to its review of the Epstein files.
The force said, at this time, it had not identified any wrongdoing, but added ‘should any new allegations come to light these will be assessed in the usual way’.
Scotland Yard said it was also working with counterparts in the US to establish whether London airports had been used to ‘facilitate human trafficking and sexual exploitation’.
Mr Page first made claims about Andrew in 2008 when he was charged over a £3million investment scam he ran from a locker room in Buckingham Palace.
He alleged that the royal protection squad was plagued by a culture of gambling, moonlighting and drinking.
Mr Page also claimed there were a number of security breaches at Buckingham Palace between 1997 and 2003, relating to Andrew privately entertaining women.
Andrew features a number of times in the Epstein files, including images apparently showing him crouching over an unidentified woman in what appears to be Epstein’s New York mansion
Mr Page first made claims about Andrew in 2008 when he was charged over a £3million investment scam he ran from a locker room in Buckingham Palace
He did not name any of the female guests, apart from British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell.
Mr Page previously said: ‘With Andrew’s women, multiple times a week, we were just told not to question it.
‘We weren’t allowed to know the names. We didn’t ask, because the bottom line is, because of fear, we didn’t want to get booted off our post.
‘One of the ongoing jokes was that Andrew should have a revolving door in his bedroom, because of the number of women that were coming in and out.’
The Metropolitan Police has never fully investigated Mr Page’s claims, saying that his conviction for fraud made him unreliable.
He has, however, continued to maintain the truth of his allegations. Last week, he told The Sun: ‘We were just told a female will be coming at whatever time.
‘It’s always after closing, and a female will be approaching the front gate.
‘We were told to call footmen and then either the female would walk through unescorted, or the footman would come down to collect her and walk her to Andrew’.
He added: ‘We put it down to him being a sh*****, and because he’s a prince, and he wouldn’t give us the names because he’s a complete a****** to staff.’
The latest development comes following the news yesterday of Andrew’s arrest by Thames Valley Police on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
The ex–Duke of York, who has denied any wrongdoing, appears frequently in the newly released emails after being friends with Epstein, who died in jail in 2019.
There have been calls for him to face the ‘full force of the law’ amid ongoing investigations surrounding British connections to Epstein’s offences.
So far ten UK police forces are confirmed to be assessing information related to the Epstein files following claims including human trafficking, sexual assault and leaks of confidential information.
Searches were ongoing today at Andrew’s former home – Royal Lodge, in Windsor, Berkshire.
Thames Valley Police, who are leading that investigation, are yet to receive any ‘early investigative advice’ from the Crown Prosecution Service in relation to the allegation, it is understood.
On Friday, a helicopter circled Royal Lodge, with unmarked vans, believed to be police vehicles, entering the grounds throughout the morning.
A police presence remained at the Sandringham Estate but searches of Andrew’s Norfolk home concluded on Thursday.
The Daily Mail has contacted the Metropolitan Police for comment.