Main Points
- Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former British prince, has been released from police custody “under investigation”
- He was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office on Thursday morning and released after almost 12 hours of questioning
- Earlier, British king Charles III said “the law must take its course” and expressed “deepest concern” over allegations against his brother tied to Jeffrey Epstein
- Former British prime minister Gordon Brown says he gave information to police expressing concern “that we secure justice for trafficked women”
Key reads
- Mountbatten-Windsor becomes first British royal arrested in almost 400 years
- Analysis: ‘The most shocking day for the British crown’
- Explainer: Why was the former prince arrested?
- Irish Times view: The law must take its course
Mountbatten-Windsor was seen by gathered members of the media arriving back to his residence at Sandringham on Thursday night after his release from custody.
Legal representatives for the former prince have yet to make any comments on today’s events.
It was shortly after 8am on Thursday when a small fleet of unmarked police cars drew up at Wood Farm on British king Charles’s private Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
Plainclothes officers stepped out into the late winter drizzle and readied themselves for a historic act that the royal family might have been expecting and dreading for weeks. Inside the house, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was perhaps sitting down to a birthday breakfast.
On February 19th, 1960, queen Elizabeth II gave birth to her third – and some say favourite and most indulged – child at Buckingham Palace.
Exactly 66 years later, Andrew – no longer a prince, and ostracised by many members of his family – was about to face the ignominy of being arrested and taken into police custody before being released almost 12 hours later.
Read the piece in full.
[ ‘The most shocking day for the British crown’Opens in new window ]
Sky News reports that US president Donald Trump has described Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest as “a very sad thing”.
Trump was asked if others in the US could see similar charges.
“I’m the expert in a way because I’ve been totally exonerated so I can speak on it ... it’s a very sad thing,” he said.
“His brother, who is coming to our country very soon, the king ... it’s a very sad thing.”
Charles is due to visit the US in April.
Speaking about himself, Trump added he was the one that “can talk about it” because he was “totally exonerated” after the release of the Epstein files.
“I did nothing,” he said.
In a statement on Thursday night, Thames Valley Police said “the arrested man has now been released under investigation”.
Police searches in Norfolk have now concluded but continue in Berkshire, the statement added.
The Royal Lodge, the former prince’s former residence, is located in Berkshire near Windsor Castle.
Mountbatten-Windsor released from custody
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been released from police custody after almost 12 hours of questioning.
He was seen in the back seat of a vehicle leaving Aylsham police station in Norfolk, England, shortly after 7pm.
Mountbatten-Windsor remains in police custody
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor remains in police custody on Thursday evening after being arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office over his ties to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The former prince, who became the first senior royal in modern history to be arrested, is accused of sharing sensitive information with Epstein while serving as the UK’s trade envoy.
Thames Valley Police previously said the force was reviewing allegations after emails released as part of the trove of documents appeared to show the former duke sharing reports of official visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore with the disgraced financier.
One email, dated November 2010, appeared to be forwarded by Mountbatten-Windsor five minutes after being sent by his then-special adviser Amir Patel.
Another, on Christmas Eve 2010, appeared to show Andrew send Epstein a confidential brief on investment opportunities in the reconstruction of Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Andrew’s arrest on Thursday, on his 66th birthday, was followed pictures of officers in attendance at his home on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk – with police seen gathering outside Wood Farm.
In the afternoon, several police officers were stood nearby, close to a private entrance to the estate.
Searches have also taken place at the Royal Lodge, Andrew’s former home in Windsor, Berkshire, where multiple vans carrying uniformed officers arrived on Thursday afternoon.
Andrew has denied any wrongdoing over his Epstein links, but has not directly responded to the latest allegations.
Charles did not respond to questions.
Camilla also did not respond after being asked “are you concerned about Andrew’s arrest, your majesty?” during an engagement in Westminster.
Mountbatten-Windsor does remain in the line of succession – he is eighth in line to the throne, having gradually moved down after being born second in line, despite being stripped of his titles.
On Wednesday, London’s Metropolitan Police said it was also looking at allegations Andrew’s protection officers turned a “blind eye” to his visits to Epstein’s island, Little St James.
The UK’s National Crime Agency said it was supporting forces in their Epstein files investigations. – PA
Elsewhere, Charles and the British queen Camilla have continued their royal duties in the wake of Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest.
Charles attended an event for the launch of London Fashion Week, while Camilla attended musical performances at Sinfonia Smith Square Hall near Westminster Abbey.
What happens next?
Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest, on suspicion of misconduct in public office, appears related to his conduct as a UK trade envoy and follows the disclosure of emails related to the dead paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
So what might happen next? Check out this explainer piece.
[ Why was Mountbatten-Windsor arrested and what happens next?Opens in new window ]
Police vehicles and fine art van leave Royal Lodge
A fine art transportation company van and multiple police vehicles have now left the grounds of Mountbatten-Windsor’s former Berkshire residence.
Thames Valley Police have been searching the Royal Lodge estate, close to Windsor castle, since Thursday morning.
At around 4pm, a dark blue Gander and White van was seen leaving the outer gates of the Windsor Great Park, which surrounds the Royal Lodge estate.
Gander and White describes itself as “one of the world’s leading fine art logistics companies, providing art storage, transport, installation and customs services”.
Two large police vans with tinted windows, each carrying several uniformed officers, were also seen leaving the property.
The Royal Lodge is a Grade II listed building built originally in the mid-1600s before being developed significantly in the 18th and 19th centuries.
It became a royal accommodation in the early 1800s and had been used by Andrew since 2004, until he moved out earlier this month.
It was known the former prince would be moving out of Royal Lodge in the new year and so the development was not thought to be linked to the latest revelations in the Epstein papers. – PA
Arrest will hopefully show accountability ‘regardless of how rich and powerful you are’ – US congressman
A democrat member of the US House Oversight Committee, who has previously called for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to sit for a transcribed interview under oath in front of Congress, has said he hopes the arrest will “show that there will be accountability”.
Suhas Subramanyam said in a statement: “He [Mountbatten-Windsor] appears repeatedly in the documents we have uncovered as having knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes and is specifically named by victims as someone who engaged in wrongdoing.
“Yet he has continued to ignore our calls to co-operate with the Oversight Committee’s investigation.
“We hope today’s arrest will lead to answers and show that there will be accountability even if you hide, regardless of how rich and powerful you are.”
Wales first minister says it is ‘a serious situation’ and ‘everybody should be treated the same’
The first minister of Wales Eluned Morgan has said she was “shocked” by the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
She said: “I think we’ve all been shocked by what’s been happening and, clearly, now there’s been an arrest, and it’s in police hands, so I can’t comment further, but it’s a serious situation.
“But everybody should be treated the same.”
Charles has carried on with his duties as monarch after he vowed the royal family would “continue in our duty and service to you all” in the wake of the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
In a statement on Thursday, he insisted the “law must take its course” as he expressed his “deep concern” over allegations of misconduct in public office against his younger brother.
The British king stripped the former duke of his right to be a prince and his Duke of York title four months ago amid the ongoing scandal surrounding Mountbatten-Windsor’s links to Jeffrey Epstein.
The monarch conducted three separate in-person audiences at St James’s Palace at around midday on Thursday as planned.
He welcomed the Spanish ambassador Emma Aparici Vazquez de Parga, the ambassador of El Salvador Francisco Lima Mena and the Kenyan high commissioner Maurice Makoloo in the royal residence’s ornate red Throne Room.
What is misconduct in public office?
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office and is in police custody.
He is the first senior royal in modern history to be arrested. But what exactly is misconduct in public office and what could happen next?
According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the offence is defined as “serious wilful abuse or neglect of the power or responsibilities of the public office held”.
It happens when a public office holder wilfully neglects to perform his or her duty or wilfully misconducts him or herself, to such a degree as to amount to an abuse of the public’s trust in that office.
The offence technically carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, but in this case that maximum would be extremely unlikely, experts have said.
In recent years, prison officers have been prosecuted for the offence after having inappropriate relationships with inmates, as well as police officers leaking information.
Being a member of the royal family will not provide Mountbatten-Windsor any protection from prosecution or going to jail. As the reigning monarch, Charles is the only royal with sovereign immunity.
Misconduct in public office is notoriously difficult to define, let alone prove, with only 191 people convicted between 2014 and 2024.
Authorities will have to find clear evidence that Mountbatten-Windsor was in a public office role, and that he knowingly abused or exploited his position.
Former British prime minister Gordon Brown has said he has submitted a five-page memorandum to the Metropolitan, Surrey, Sussex, Thames Valley and other relevant UK police constabularies.
“This memorandum provides new and additional information to that which I submitted last week to the Met, Essex and Thames Valley police forces where I expressed my concern that we secure justice for trafficked girls and women,” he said.
Scottish first minister John Swinney has told the Scottish parliament: “The announcement in relation to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor obviously relates to a live case and I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to comment upon that.”
Police searches of Mountbatten-Windsor’s former home at the Royal Lodge, in Windsor, are ongoing. Officers can be seen at the gates of the sprawling property, while the press are being kept at an outer entrance.
Nobody is above the law, says UK’s deputy prime minister
British deputy prime minister David Lammy has said “nobody in this country is above the law” and that the police investigation “must happen in the usual way”.
Speaking to BBC News at the India AI Impact Summit in Delhi, he said: “As justice secretary – and as the prime minister has said – nobody in this country is above the law. And this is now a police investigation and that must happen in the usual way.”
Police did not give British king Charles advance notice of Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest.
It is understood neither he nor Buckingham Palace were informed in advance of the arrest earlier this morning.
Charles has said it was with “deepest concern” he had learned about the arrest of his younger brother and that police have “our full and wholehearted support and co-operation”.
‘No one is above the law, not even royalty,’ says family of Virginia Giuffre
Virginia Giuffre’s family have said that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest shows that “no one is above the law”.
Giuffre was one of the most prominent victims of the US financier Jeffrey Epstein who also alleged she had been sexually trafficked to Mountbatten-Windsor. She took her own life in April 2025, aged 41.
The statement says: “At last, today our broken hearts have been lifted with the news that no one is above the law – not even royalty.
“On behalf of our sister, we extend our gratitude to the UK’s Thames Valley Police in their investigation and arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
“He was never a prince. For survivors everywhere, Virginia did this for you.”
Elsewhere, British queen Camilla has arrived for an engagement in Westminster just hours after police confirmed Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
She was greeted by representatives of Sinfonia Smith Square where she will attend a lunchtime orchestral concert.
‘The law must take its course’, says Charles who expresses ‘deepest concern’
Charles has said “the law must take its course” after expressing his “deepest concern” over the arrest of his brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
In a statement, he 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.
“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.”
Before the arrest was announced, British prime minister Keir Starmer told BBC Breakfast “nobody is above the law” when asked about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
Starmer added: “Anybody who has any information should testify. So whether it’s Andrew or anybody else, anybody who has got relevant information should come forward to whatever the relevant body is, in this particular case we’re talking about Epstein, but there are plenty of other cases.”
Here is a helpful timeline that goes right up to the stripping of Mountbatten-Windsor’s titles and his exit from Royal Lodge.
Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest appears to be the first of a UK royal since king Charles I in the 17th century following his defeat in the English civil war.
In March 1554, queen Mary I ordered the arrest of her half-sister, princess Elizabeth, following suspicions of involvement in Wyatt’s Rebellion.
Princess Elizabeth was imprisoned in the Tower of London for two months before being moved to house arrest at Woodstock. She was eventually released after failing to be directly linked to the plot.
Mountbatten-Windsor’s relationship with Epstein came under renewed scrutiny this year when the US justice department released millions of documents relating to the disgraced financier.
Documents showed that Mountbatten-Windsor had advocated for Epstein on a state visit to the United Arab Emirates with Britain’s late queen Elizabeth in 2010.
They also showed that he had shared confidential information acquired as a result of his trade role with Epstein and his associates.
The files also contained an image of Mountbatten-Windsor on all fours above a young woman.
It was unclear to which activities the arrests were related. Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied any financial or sexual wrongdoing arising from his links with Epstein and his circle.
Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest comes days after Buckingham Palace said it would “stand ready to support” the police if approached over the claims made against him.
A spokesman for Buckingham Palace added that British king Charles III had made clear his “profound concern” over his brother’s alleged conduct.
Mountbatten-Windsor is effectively no longer a royal, after he was stripped by the monarch of both his right to be a prince and his dukedom late last year over his association with Epstein.
He does, however, remain in the line of succession – he is eighth in line to the throne, having gradually moved down after being born second in line.
Police assessing allegations
Police have been assessing allegations that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor shared sensitive information with the billionaire child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein when he was a UK trade envoy.
Thames Valley police previously said the force was reviewing allegations that a woman was trafficked to the UK by Epstein to have a sexual encounter with Mountbatten-Windsor, and claims he shared sensitive information with the disgraced financier while serving as the UK’s trade envoy.
Mountbatten-Windsor has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in relation to his friendship with Epstein.
Oliver Wright, the force’s assistant chief constable, said: “Following a thorough assessment, we have now opened an investigation into this allegation of misconduct in public office.
“It is important that we protect the integrity and objectivity of our investigation as we work with our partners to investigate this alleged offence. We understand the significant public interest in this case, and we will provide updates at the appropriate time.”
Britain’s former prince Andrew has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Photographs of unmarked police cars and plainclothes officers at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, England, were published on Thursday.
A statement from Thames Valley police said: “We have today (19/2) arrested a man in his 60s 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.”
The arrest came as Mountbatten-Windsor celebrated his 66th birthday at home on Thursday.
Follow irishtimes.com for updates throughout the day.
