Several prominent people are currently under investigation in Europe for their mention in a huge number of documents about the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Among them are British politicians Peter Mendelssohn, former ambassador to the USA, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, brother of King Charles and until recently a prince, as well as Mona Jul, a Norwegian diplomat.
Andrew is not the only member of a European royal family to be in the spotlight because of Epstein.
Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit has issued a "deep apology" to Norwegians for her long-standing friendship with Epstein.
The apology came after it was revealed that the two had been exchanging messages for three years.
"I also apologize for the situation I have put the Royal House, especially the King and Queen, in," the palace said in a statement after days of pressure.
Harald V and Queen Sonja, who are both 88 years old, have not commented on the revelations.
On February 6, the King met with Prime Minister Jonas Gaar Stern, along with Crown Prince Haakon, who later told reporters that his wife wanted to speak:
"But she can't right now, and I'm telling her she's not allowed."
Norwegian police have officially launched an investigation against Mona Juhl and her husband.
A few days ago, Mona Yul resigned from her position as ambassador to Jordan and Iraq.
She resigned just days after being suspended following Norwegian media reports that each of her children will receive five million dollars in a will that Epstein allegedly signed days before his death.
According to the official version, Epstein killed himself in a New York prison in 2019, while awaiting trial on charges of pimping minors for sex and sexual exploitation.
According to emails released in millions of documents from the so-called Epstein dossier, Terje Red-Larsen, Mona Yule's husband, had dinner with Epstein in Paris in June 2019, weeks before the sex offender was arrested in the US on charges of human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
The Norwegian diplomat's lawyer said she "does not admit the allegations against her," and Red-Larsen's legal representative said he was confident the investigation would clarify that "there is no basis for criminal liability."
The appearance or mention of someone's name in documents does not indicate that that person or something committed any criminal offense.
The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Mone Jul's contact with Epstein revealed a "serious lapse in judgment."
Norway's economic crime unit Okokrim has launched an investigation into "serious corruption", police said.
"Okokrim will, among other things, investigate whether she benefited from her position," police said of Mona Yul.
A property in Oslo was searched in connection with the investigation.
Juhl and Red-Larsen were part of a small group of diplomats who negotiated the 1993-1995 Oslo Accords, which were considered a turning point in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at the time.
Norwegian media reports that Red-Larsen had extensive communication with Epstein and had repeatedly arranged to meet with him and Jul.
In addition to Mona Jula, Red-Larsen and Metta Marit, several other public figures from the Nordic country have been drawn into the growing scandal surrounding the Epstein documents.
Among them are former Norwegian Prime Minister Torbjorn Jagland and the executive director of the World Economic Forum (WEF), Borge Brand.
Jagland, the former head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, is under investigation for alleged ties to Epstein.
His lawyer said he would cooperate fully with police.
The World Economic Forum has ordered an independent investigation into Brand, the former Norwegian foreign minister, over his links to a convicted paedophile.
Brand admitted that he had dinner with Epstein three times in 2018 and 2019 and that he communicated with him via email and text messages.
He said he welcomed the World Economic Forum's decision to launch an investigation.
- Bill and Hillary Clinton on Epstein before US Congress
- New allegations about Trump-Epstein ties, thousands of documents released
- 'How do I deal with bad press?': Epstein and Noam Chomsky's contacts
Poland and Lithuania have also launched an investigation.
Some European countries, such as Poland and Lithuania, will form commissions to investigate allegations from millions of documents about the trafficking of girls and young women who were taken from these and other Eastern European countries to 'Epstein's Island'.
At a government meeting, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said a team would be created to investigate all potential consequences of Epstein's crimes in relation to Poland, particularly in relation to what he called "the possible involvement of Russian secret services."
"More and more clues, more and more information and more and more comments in the world press point to the suspicion that Russian intelligence services co-organised and coordinated this unprecedented paedophile scandal," Tusk said.
"This can only mean that they also possess compromising materials against many leaders who are still active today," the Polish prime minister added.
- Jeffrey Epstein autopsy details revealed
- Jeffrey Epstein case: 'I found a house for your guests'
- British Prime Minister on 'quiet fire' over Epstein case
Gillian Maxwell defends herself with silence
Gillian Maxwell, Epstein's convicted associate, refused to answer questions from the House Oversight Committee.
Maxwell appeared at an online hearing on February 9 from a Texas prison where she is serving a 20-year sentence for human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
"As expected," Maxwell invoked the Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution, exercising her right to remain silent, said House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, a Republican.
"This is very disappointing," he said.
"We had a lot of questions about the crimes that she and Epstein committed, as well as questions about potential accomplices" in the crimes, he added.
"We sincerely want to get to the truth for the American people and justice for the survivors, that's what this investigation is about," Comer added.
The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gives Americans the right to avoid self-incrimination by refusing to answer questions while under oath.
Democratic Representative Melanie Stansbury told reporters that Maxwell used the opportunity to "campaign for a pardon."
Comer said that from conversations with surviving Epstein victims, "it was clear that Maxwell was a very bad person" who did not deserve any kind of immunity.
In an earlier post on social media, David Oscar Marcus, attorney for Gillian Maxwell, said she was "willing to speak fully and honestly if President Donald Trump grants her a pardon."
"Only she can provide the complete picture. Some may not like what they hear, but the truth is important," he added.
'Reveal all': Video of Epstein victims
Epstein's surviving victims have appeared in a video calling on US authorities to release all documents related to the convicted sex offender.
In a 40-second video by the association "A World Without Exploitation" (World Without Exploitation), released in the US on February 8, the victims hold up personal photos of themselves when they were young and say:
"We all deserve the truth."
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) was required by law to release all documents in December last year.
However, only a few were published, many of which were edited (words or entire sentences are blacked out).
The Justice Department said the documents that were not released were either unrelated, duplicated, or were withheld pursuant to due process or attorney-client privilege, or because they depicted violence.
US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanch said last month that the release of millions of documents on January 30 "marks the end of a very comprehensive process of document identification and review."
He also said that there is "a well-established assumption that somehow there is this hidden body of information about men that we know about, that we are covering up or that we have chosen to prosecute."
"That's not true," he added.
The victims' video begins with the text: "The Epstein File Transparency Act was signed into law on November 19, 2025."
It continues with the message: "3 MILLION DOCUMENTS have not yet been published."
Epstein's surviving victims appear in the video with black tape over their mouths, then each says: "We're in this together."
The video ends with a call for people to "stand with us" and the message: "Tell Attorney General Pam Bondi IT'S TIME FOR THE TRUTH."
Although the video was released on Super Bowl day, it was not broadcast on television during the most important sporting game in the US, which traditionally attracts the largest number of television viewers.
The association told Reuters news agency that they could not afford to air the ad during the game, noting that a 30-second Super Bowl ad can cost "more than $8 million."
BBC is in Serbian from now on and on YouTube, follow us HERE.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram i Viber. If you have a topic suggestion for us, please contact bbcnasrpskom@bbc.co.uk
- Who was Jeffrey Epstein and how did he get so much power?
- Sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the hiring of minors "for massage and work"
- Millions of new documents on Epstein: Gates, Musk and a grieving Prince Andrew over a woman's body
- Director of the film 'Melania' fondled women with Epstein, disgraced and the head of the Los Angeles Olympics
- Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein: Photo with young Virginia Giuffre and 'threesome with dancer'
Bonus video:
