Ex-Prince Andrew Could Be Next Target After 23 Epstein Associates Die, Investigator Warns

Andrew, the disgraced former Duke of York, is seeking enhanced security at his Sandringham home after a masked man allegedly confronted him while he walked the late Queen's corgis earlier this month, amid warnings from a US investigator that he could be a 'target' in the sprawling Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

The alarm has been sharpened by claims that 23 people with links to Epstein have died in disputed or unsettling circumstances, with private investigator Ed Opperman telling Globe Magazine that Andrew should be 'looking over his shoulder'.

For context, Andrew's public life has been in freefall since his friendship with Epstein exploded into view, culminating in the loss of his royal titles, his withdrawal from public duties and his forced move out of Royal Lodge in Windsor.

He has repeatedly denied any criminal wrongdoing and has insisted he knew nothing of Epstein's trafficking operation, but the combination of new investigative files, an attempted confrontation on a quiet Norfolk estate and a grim roll-call of deaths around Epstein has given fresh oxygen to fears, speculation and conspiracy theories in equal measure.

Nothing in these latest claims has been independently confirmed, and any suggestion of a coordinated plot should be treated with considerable caution.

Epstein Investigator Warns Andrew Could Be 'Target'

Opperman, a long-time Epstein researcher and host of The Opperman Report, told Globe he believes Andrew may now be vulnerable because of what he might be able to reveal about others. The magazine reports him as saying that the royal 'seems like the type who might flip and start talking to avoid prison,' adding that Andrew 'has never worked a day in his life, and he wouldn't last 30 minutes in prison.'

Opperman links that assessment to his tally of 23 deaths among people once connected to Epstein's social and professional world, including accusers, staff, lawyers, accountants and even journalists who covered the case. The most recent, he notes, is the death of 25‑year‑old Edward Juul Rød‑Larsen, son of former Norwegian diplomat Terje Rød‑Larsen, whose own reputation was shaken after US Department of Justice files appeared to connect him to Epstein.

Edward's death was officially ruled a s*icide, but within the conspiratorial ecosystem around Epstein, it has been folded into a narrative of mounting bodies and hidden hands.

Again, none of these deaths has been legally tied to any plot, and authorities continue to treat Epstein's own 2019 death in a Manhattan jail as s*icide, despite persistent public doubt. Opperman's warnings sit at the intersection of hard investigation and highly speculative inference, something his critics point to even as his supporters argue he has been ahead of the curve on the wider scandal.

Masked Intruder Incident Fuels Andrew's Security Push

The more immediate trigger for Andrew's renewed security demands was the 6 May confrontation at Sandringham. According to reports cited by The Telegraph, the 66‑year‑old was walking two of Queen Elizabeth II's beloved corgis near his new home when a man in a ski mask began shouting at him at around 7.30pm.

Private security guards intervened and detained 39‑year‑old Alex Jenkinson, who was later charged with two counts of harassment. In court, Jenkinson denied using threatening or abusive language and denied causing fear of violence against Andrew. The case is ongoing, and his account of what happened has not yet been fully tested in public.

Those close to Andrew told Globe the encounter left him badly shaken. One unnamed source said: 'Even though Andrew is no longer a working member of the royal family, the threat to his personal safety is greater than ever. It could be argued that he is actually more at risk from individuals who have become fixated due to all of the coverage he has attracted.'

Andrew has since pushed for his former round‑the‑clock Metropolitan Police protection team to be reinstated. That unit, reportedly made up of ten officers and costing about $1.3 million a year, was withdrawn on the orders of King Charles, who instructed the Keeper of the Privy Purse to stop the funding in 2024. Palace sources quoted by Globe say the King has so far resisted any attempt to reverse that decision.

In the background, rumour and reality are tightly intertwined. The same report claims Andrew was 'almost forced' to hand over his passport after talk circulated that he might attempt to decamp quietly to the United Arab Emirates under the informal protection of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. There is no official confirmation that such a move was ever seriously considered, but the fact the idea seems plausible for some speaks to how politically toxic Andrew has become.

The legal jeopardy itself remains opaque. Earlier this year, the US Department of Justice released documents on Epstein and his network that appeared to suggest Andrew passed on confidential information gained during his time as a UK trade envoy. That disclosure, Globe says, prompted police to question him again. He was released without charge and continues to deny any involvement in Epstein's criminal activities.

What is left is a man exiled from royal life, living under private security on a royal estate, while being cast by investigators like Opperman as someone who 'probably has more dirt on other people than Ghislaine Maxwell.' Whether that makes Andrew a genuine target for shadowy power brokers, or simply the latest character onto whom the public projects its unease about Epstein's unresolved legacy, remains something no one can yet prove.

IBTimes has reached out to ex-Prince Andrew's reps for comments.