London: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew and the brother of King Charles, was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The arrest, which took place on his 66th birthday, followed early-morning police visit to the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, where he has been residing after vacating his Windsor home amid renewed scrutiny over his past links to Jeffrey Epstein. Windsor is 66 years old.
The police action comes after the release of emails by the US Department of Justice that allegedly show the former Duke sharing reports related to official visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Singapore.
According to the disclosed records, one email dated November 2010 appeared to have been forwarded by Mountbatten-Windsor just five minutes after it was sent to him by his then special adviser, Amir Patel.
Another email, dated Christmas Eve 2010, reportedly contained a confidential briefing on investment opportunities linked to the reconstruction of Helmand province in Afghanistan and was allegedly sent to Jeffrey Epstein.
Authorities are examining the contents of these communications as part of the ongoing investigation.
What the Thames Valley Police say…
Thames Valley Police, which covers areas west of London including his former home, said they were reviewing reports that he had sent trade information to Jeffrey Epstein in 2010. The police did not name him directly, as UK law requires, but they confirmed that a man in his sixties had been arrested.
UK police said officers were searching two addresses, one in eastern England and one west of London, following the Andrew’s arrest.
“As part of the investigation, we have today (19/2) 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,” Thames Valley Police said in a statement, without naming the disgraced ex-royal.
“Following a thorough assessment, we have now opened an investigation into this allegation of misconduct in public office,” the force said. The statement further added, “It is important that we protect the integrity and objectivity of our investigation as we work with our partners to investigate this alleged offence,” the force said.
Andrew and Epstein Files allegation
Mountbatten-Windsor’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein has come under renewed scrutiny after the US Department of Justice released a large number of documents related to Epstein. The documents reportedly show that he supported Epstein during a state visit to the United Arab Emirates in 2010 and shared confidential trade-related information with him and his associates. The files also allegedly include an image showing Mountbatten-Windsor with a young woman. Virginia Guiffre has alleged she was trafficked to Prince Andrew by Jeffrey Epstein on several occasions when she was a teenager.
Titles removed in November 2025
On November 3, 2025, King Charles III officially removed his brother’s titles, including “Prince,” “His Royal Highness,” and “Duke of York.” This decision came after increasing public pressure over his links to Jeffrey Epstein.
Mountbatten-Windsor was reported to the police by the anti-monarchy group Republic after more than three million pages of documents about Epstein were released. Epstein had been convicted in 2008 for seeking prostitution from a minor.
The released documents suggested that in 2010, Mountbatten-Windsor sent Epstein reports about Vietnam, Singapore, and other places he had visited during official trips.
