Newsman: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor — formerly known as Prince Andrew and the younger brother of King Charles III — was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office according to multiple news outlets in the United Kingdom.
In a statement, Thames Valley Police said they had “arrested a man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office and are carrying out searches at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk.”
“The man remains in police custody at this time. We will not be naming the arrested man, as per national guidance,” the statement said.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Charles said, “I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office.”
“What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities. In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and co-operation,” Charles added.
“Let me state clearly: the law must take its course. As this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter. Meanwhile, my family and I will continue in our duty and service to you all.”
Photos from Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate in eastern England showed what appeared to be police officers arriving in several unmarked vehicles. Thursday marks Andrew’s 66th birthday.
Andrew’s arrest on Thursday follows the emergence of documents detailing communication between Andrew and the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Several emails released by the U.S. Justice Department showed Epstein’s correspondence with a Andrew’s aide David Stern and suggest the royal may have planned to use his role as a special U.K. representative for trade and investment to further his own business interests.
Documents suggest former Prince Andrew shared sensitive info with Jeffrey Epstein
The emails in question date back to 2010. Andrew served as a British trade envoy from 2001 until 2011, when Buckingham Palace announced that he would give up the role following criticism over his friendship with controversial figures, including Epstein.
Andrew has previously denied wrongdoing with respect to Epstein.
The U.K.’s Thames Valley Police said in a Feb. 19 statement that they arrested an unnamed man in his 60s and were carrying out searches at addresses in Norfolk and Berkshire, adding that an investigation has been opened. The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported that six unmarked police cars and around eight plain-clothed officers were seen arriving at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, England, where Mountbatten-Windsor recently moved.
The BBC was the first to report the development.
The former prince has faced intense scrutiny over his friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mountbatten-Windsor, 66, has denied any wrongdoing and said he regrets the friendship. He has not responded to requests for comment following the latest Epstein files published by the U.S. Justice Department.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his royal titles last year over his links to Epstein.
British police said earlier this month officers were considering allegations that King Charles III’s younger brother passed confidential government documents to Epstein.
The former Prince Andrew has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public life, or misconduct in public office, a U.K. common law offense involving the willful “abuse or neglect of the power or responsibilities of the public office held,” according to the U.K.’s Crown Prosecution Service. It applies to willful misconduct in and of itself, or willful neglect to perform the official’s duty, if either amounts to “an abuse of the public’s trust.”
It can carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Authorities have said they are considering allegations, suggested in the Epstein files, that Mountbatten-Windsor passed confidential government documents to Epstein.
Prince William, Princess Kate stand behind King Charles statement
Newsman: King Charles III, who stripped Andrew of his royal title in October, is speaking out on his brother’s arrest.
He said he has “learned with the deepest concern” about the arrest, adding: “What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities. In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and co-operation.”
He continued: “Let me state clearly: the law must take its course. As this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter.”
British Prince William, Mountbatten-Windsor’s nephew, and Princess Kate are in support of King Charles III’s earlier statement, over Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrest as understood.
Charles has shared his “deepest concern,” according to a statement from Buckingham Palace, adding that law enforcement has their “full and wholehearted support and co-operation.”
“The law must take its course,” he continued.
The Prince and Princess of Wales have previously spoken out, saying in early February that they have been “deeply concerned by the continuing revelations” and “their thoughts remain focused on the victims.”
Sarah Ferguson, the former Duchess of York and ex-wife of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, has been caught in the Epstein fallout.
Ferguson’s name has apparently come up in the Epstein files, per the BBC and Sky News. In one email, she seemingly asks the financial advisor for advice on her £6m debt while he was in jail for soliciting prostitution from a minor. Other supposed emails from Ferguson see the former duchess described Epstein as a “supreme friend” and “legend,” as well as a 2010 email in which she tells him, “I am at your service. Please marry me.”
The emails are dated after Epstein’s conviction on prostitution charges. Ferguson has not been accused of any wrongdoing tied to Epstein.
Statement from Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s family
Virginia Roberts Giuffre first filed a sex-abuse lawsuit against Mountbatten-Windsor in 2021, alleging that she had been trafficked to him by Epstein three times around 2001, when she was 17. The former British royal family member settled the lawsuit in 2022, though he has vehemently denied the allegations and denied cooperating with the convicted sex offender.
Giuffre, one of the most outspoken victims of financier Jeffrey Epstein and his partner Ghislaine Maxwell, alleged she was trafficked to engage in sex with the former Prince Andrew when she was a teenager.
She died by suicide in April 2025. Her memoir “Nobody’s Girl” was released six months later.
“At last. Today, our broken hearts have been lifted at the news that no one is above the law, not even royalty,” her brothers said in a statement attributed to them and their wives.
When she first shared her story publicly to a British tabloid reporter in 2011 about how Epstein and Maxwell sexually assaulted her and trafficked her to the then Prince Andrew, politicians and businessmen, she was dismissed along with their other victims.
The full statement from Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s family reads:
“At last.
“Today, our broken hearts have been lifted at the news that no one is above the law, not even royalty.
“On behalf of our sister, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, we extend our gratitude to the UK’s Thames Valley Police for their investigation and arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
“He was never a prince.
“For survivors everywhere, Virginia did this for you.”
Buckingham Palace said in an Oct. 30 statement that the Andrew would be stripped of his royal style, titles and honors. He is no longer a prince and is now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
The palace also said he would be leaving his royal residence at the Royal Lodge, instead taking residence at a property on the private Sandringham estate. The move comes three years after he was ousted as a senior royal following allegations over his connections to Epstein.
“These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him,” Buckingham Palace said, adding the king and queen’s “thoughts and utmost sympathies” remain with victims and survivors of abuse.
Mountbatten-Windsor reportedly got to keep one royal distinction, however. He was allowed to hang on to his Falklands War campaign medal, according to The Guardian and The Telegraph.
Newsman:Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor — formerly known as Prince Andrew and the younger brother of King Charles III — was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office according to multiple news outlets in the United Kingdom.
In a statement, Thames Valley Police said they had “arrested a man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office and are carrying out searches at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk.”
“The man remains in police custody at this time. We will not be naming the arrested man, as per national guidance,” the statement said.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Charles said, “I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office.”
“What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities. In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and co-operation,” Charles added.
“Let me state clearly: the law must take its course. As this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter. Meanwhile, my family and I will continue in our duty and service to you all.”
Photos from Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate in eastern England showed what appeared to be police officers arriving in several unmarked vehicles. Thursday marks Andrew’s 66th birthday.
Andrew’s arrest on Thursday follows the emergence of documents detailing communication between Andrew and the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Several emails released by the U.S. Justice Department showed Epstein’s correspondence with a Andrew’s aide David Stern and suggest the royal may have planned to use his role as a special U.K. representative for trade and investment to further his own business interests.
Documents suggest former Prince Andrew shared sensitive info with Jeffrey Epstein
The emails in question date back to 2010. Andrew served as a British trade envoy from 2001 until 2011, when Buckingham Palace announced that he would give up the role following criticism over his friendship with controversial figures, including Epstein.
Andrew has previously denied wrongdoing with respect to Epstein.
The U.K.’s Thames Valley Police said in a Feb. 19 statement that they arrested an unnamed man in his 60s and were carrying out searches at addresses in Norfolk and Berkshire, adding that an investigation has been opened. The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported that six unmarked police cars and around eight plain-clothed officers were seen arriving at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, England, where Mountbatten-Windsor recently moved.
The BBC was the first to report the development.
The former prince has faced intense scrutiny over his friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mountbatten-Windsor, 66, has denied any wrongdoing and said he regrets the friendship. He has not responded to requests for comment following the latest Epstein files published by the U.S. Justice Department.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his royal titles last year over his links to Epstein.
British police said earlier this month officers were considering allegations that King Charles III’s younger brother passed confidential government documents to Epstein.
The former Prince Andrew has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public life, or misconduct in public office, a U.K. common law offense involving the willful “abuse or neglect of the power or responsibilities of the public office held,” according to the U.K.’s Crown Prosecution Service. It applies to willful misconduct in and of itself, or willful neglect to perform the official’s duty, if either amounts to “an abuse of the public’s trust.”
It can carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Authorities have said they are considering allegations, suggested in the Epstein files, that Mountbatten-Windsor passed confidential government documents to Epstein.
Prince William, Princess Kate stand behind King Charles statement
Newsman: King Charles III, who stripped Andrew of his royal title in October, is speaking out on his brother’s arrest.
He said he has “learned with the deepest concern” about the arrest, adding: “What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities. In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and co-operation.”
He continued: “Let me state clearly: the law must take its course. As this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter.”
British Prince William, Mountbatten-Windsor’s nephew, and Princess Kate are in support of King Charles III’s earlier statement, over Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrest as understood.
Charles has shared his “deepest concern,” according to a statement from Buckingham Palace, adding that law enforcement has their “full and wholehearted support and co-operation.”
“The law must take its course,” he continued.
The Prince and Princess of Wales have previously spoken out, saying in early February that they have been “deeply concerned by the continuing revelations” and “their thoughts remain focused on the victims.”
Sarah Ferguson, the former Duchess of York and ex-wife of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, has been caught in the Epstein fallout.
Ferguson’s name has apparently come up in the Epstein files, per the BBC and Sky News. In one email, she seemingly asks the financial advisor for advice on her £6m debt while he was in jail for soliciting prostitution from a minor. Other supposed emails from Ferguson see the former duchess described Epstein as a “supreme friend” and “legend,” as well as a 2010 email in which she tells him, “I am at your service. Please marry me.”
The emails are dated after Epstein’s conviction on prostitution charges. Ferguson has not been accused of any wrongdoing tied to Epstein.
Statement from Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s family
Virginia Roberts Giuffre first filed a sex-abuse lawsuit against Mountbatten-Windsor in 2021, alleging that she had been trafficked to him by Epstein three times around 2001, when she was 17. The former British royal family member settled the lawsuit in 2022, though he has vehemently denied the allegations and denied cooperating with the convicted sex offender.
Giuffre, one of the most outspoken victims of financier Jeffrey Epstein and his partner Ghislaine Maxwell, alleged she was trafficked to engage in sex with the former Prince Andrew when she was a teenager.
She died by suicide in April 2025. Her memoir “Nobody’s Girl” was released six months later.
“At last. Today, our broken hearts have been lifted at the news that no one is above the law, not even royalty,” her brothers said in a statement attributed to them and their wives.
When she first shared her story publicly to a British tabloid reporter in 2011 about how Epstein and Maxwell sexually assaulted her and trafficked her to the then Prince Andrew, politicians and businessmen, she was dismissed along with their other victims.
The full statement from Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s family reads:
“At last.
“Today, our broken hearts have been lifted at the news that no one is above the law, not even royalty.
“On behalf of our sister, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, we extend our gratitude to the UK’s Thames Valley Police for their investigation and arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
“He was never a prince.
“For survivors everywhere, Virginia did this for you.”
Buckingham Palace said in an Oct. 30 statement that the Andrew would be stripped of his royal style, titles and honors. He is no longer a prince and is now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
The palace also said he would be leaving his royal residence at the Royal Lodge, instead taking residence at a property on the private Sandringham estate. The move comes three years after he was ousted as a senior royal following allegations over his connections to Epstein.
“These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him,” Buckingham Palace said, adding the king and queen’s “thoughts and utmost sympathies” remain with victims and survivors of abuse.
Mountbatten-Windsor reportedly got to keep one royal distinction, however. He was allowed to hang on to his Falklands War campaign medal, according to The Guardian and The Telegraph.
