Victoria Ward and Will Bolton
London: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been photographed with a large bruise across his face.
The disgraced member of the royal family was seen driving from his home, Marsh Farm in Norfolk, on Thursday afternoon (UK time).
A well-placed source insisted the purple bruise that appeared to cover much of his cheek and right eye was not a cause for concern.
The insider said there had been “no drama”, accident or attack, but could not discuss it further because of medical confidentiality.
The former prince and Duke of York remains under police investigation following his arrest at home on the Sandringham Estate in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Stephen Parkinson, the director of public prosecutions, has said the police investigation into Mountbatten-Windsor would look at a “pattern of conduct” over a number of years.
He said he would not be surprised if the “complex” case took more than a year to conclude.
Last month, Thames Valley Police said its investigation would also examine allegations of sexual misconduct linked to his association with Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted paedophile.
Speaking on Thursday, Parkinson said: “The way you look at these cases, you look at a pattern of conduct over a period of years. It’s going to involve vast quantities of data.”
He said that while some of that information was already in the public domain, there would be “data beyond that” on laptops and phones which would need to be analysed as it may lead to “further strands of inquiry”.
“I really don’t think that anyone should expect an early resolution to the investigation. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if it took over a year, not because of any lack of urgency, but because of the complexity, and also the international dimension is an extra factor,” Parkinson said.
Police began their investigation into allegations the then prince passed sensitive information to Epstein when he was working as a UK trade envoy.
As special representative for trade and investment, he was granted access to senior government and business contacts around the world.
It is also understood that police are investigating allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards a woman at Royal Ascot in 2002.
The incident allegedly took place when the then prince attended the racing event in Berkshire with the late Queen during her Golden Jubilee year.
A spokesman for Thames Valley Police previously said: “We cannot go into specifics of the investigation, but we are following all reasonable lines of inquiry.”
Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on his 66th birthday on February 19 and released under investigation after spending more than 12 hours in police custody. He denies any wrongdoing.
Detectives are also working their way through a list of key witnesses, including former cabinet ministers, royal officials and senior civil servants, to gather evidence about his 10-year stint as a government trade envoy.
Police have urged any women who were abused by Epstein to contact officers if they have information that would assist their inquiries.
A dedicated team has been set up to investigate the allegations against Mountbatten-Windsor. It is being resourced at a level similar to that of a murder inquiry.
Former UK cabinet minister and ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson is also being investigated by officers from the Met after it emerged he appeared to have leaked government documents to Epstein while serving as business secretary in Gordon Brown’s government.
He was arrested on February 23 following a tip from Lindsay Hoyle, the speaker of the House of Commons, that he was planning to flee to the British Virgin Islands.
Mandelson’s homes in London and Wiltshire were raided by officers from the Met’s specialist crime team in April. They seized documents and computer equipment.
His bail conditions were later lifted after police concluded he was not a flight risk.
