Epstein files row: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, King Charles’ brother, arrested by UK police on suspicion of misconduct in public ⁠office ​

Andrew Mountbatten Arrested: A UK police force has arrested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, King Charles’ younger brother, on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The Thames Valley Police, an agency that covers areas west of London, including Mountbatten-Windsor’s former home, had been “assessing” reports that the former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor sent trade reports to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2010. The police force did not name Mountbatten-Windsor, as is normal under UK law. But when asked if he had been arrested, the force pointed to a statement saying that they had arrested a man in his sixties. “Following a thorough assessment, we have now opened an investigation into this allegation of misconduct in public office,” the statement said. “It is important that we protect the integrity and objectivity of our investigation as we work with our partners to investigate this alleged offence. ## What we know so far about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest: • Thames Valley Police arrested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who turns 66 today, earlier this morning. • The former prince was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office and he is in custody, the BBC reported. • Police are searching addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk, it added. • The Thames Valley Police said he was arrested after a “thorough assessment”, with an investigation now opened. ## Here’s the UK police’s full statement “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. The man remains in police custody at this time. We will not be naming the arrested man, as per national guidance. Please also remember that this case is now active so care should be taken with any publication to avoid being in contempt of court.” Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright 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.” ## Andrew had lost last royal titles According to the official order, published in the London Gazette in December last year, King Charles ordered the cancellation and annulment of the Order of the Garter awarded to Andrew in April 2006. Similarly, Andrew’s appointment to the Royal Victorian Order in February 2011 was also cancelled and annulled, and his name was erased from the Register of the Order. ## Allegations against Andrew Earlier, the US court documents showed that Andrew emailed Epstein in 2010, writing it would be “good to catch up in person” after Epstein’s release from prison. They were later photographed together in New York’s Central Park, a meeting Andrew told the BBC was to end their friendship. The Palace said, in a statement, that “these censures are deemed necessary,” adding that the King and Queen’s “thoughts and utmost sympathies” were with the victims of abuse. Andrew has since been ordered to leave his Windsor home, Royal Lodge, and moved to a property on the King’s Norfolk estate. ## Key moments leading to Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest over his links to Epstein The man formerly known as Prince Andrew has for years faced a series of allegations over his contacts with the disgraced financier, most recently in the wake of the release of more than 3 million pages of documents related to Epstein from the US Justice Department. Mountbatten-Windsor has denied any wrongdoing in his friendship with Epstein. 2011: Andrew is forced to resign as Britain’s special trade envoy following the first reports of his links to Epstein, who was convicted and jailed three years earlier for sex offences involving a minor. July 2019: Epstein is arrested for a second time on charges of sex trafficking and later dies by suicide in a New York jail cell. The news focuses public attention on allegations that the then-prince had sex with at least one underage teenager trafficked by Epstein. Andrew denies the allegations. November 16, 2019: Andrew attempts to staunch the flood of criticism by agreeing to an on-camera grilling by BBC reporter Emily Maitlis. The interview backfires when Andrew defends his relationship with Epstein, fails to show empathy for his victims and offers explanations of his behaviour that many people find hard to believe. Andrew says he broke off contact with Epstein in December 2010, a date that will come back to haunt him. November 20, 2020: Buckingham Palace announces that Andrew will suspend all royal duties “for the foreseeable future”. Four days later, the prince is stripped of his role as patron of 230 charities. 2022: Andrew agrees to settle a New York civil lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre, who alleged that she was forced to have sex with the prince when she was 17. While Andrew didn’t admit to any of Giuffre’s allegations, he acknowledged that she had suffered as a victim of sexual abuse. Legal experts estimate that the undisclosed settlement cost Andrew as much as USD 10 million. The source of the funds has remained murky ever since. April 25, 2025: Virginia Giuffre dies by suicide in Australia, where she had lived since about 2002. October 12, 2025: British newspapers reveal that Andrew sent an email to Epstein on February 28, 2011, more than two months after he had told the BBC he had cut off all contact with his one-time friend. Andrew wrote they were “in this together” and would “have to rise above it”. October 17, 2025: Andrew says he is giving up his royal titles, including that of Duke of York, and other honours because “the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the royal family”. October 21, 2025: In her posthumous book, Giuffre recounts details of how she first met Andrew in March 2001, and that she was forced to have sex with him on three separate occasions. October 30, 2025: The king strips his brother of his remaining titles and honours, including the one he has held since birth – prince. From henceforth, he will be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor – he subsequently gains a hyphen. The king also serves notice for Andrew to leave Royal Lodge, his 30-room stately home near Windsor Castle, where he has lived for more than 20 years. He agrees to relocate to his brother’s private and remote Sandringham Estate January 30, 2026: The US Justice Department publishes the Epstein files, which appear to reveal further unsavoury details about the relationship between Andrew and Epstein. One picture of Mountbatten-Windsor crouching over a motionless and unnamed woman in what appears to be Epstein’s apartment in New York causes widespread consternation and disgust. Among the allegations that emerge over the ensuing days is that Mountbatten-Windsor sent Epstein confidential reports from a 2010 tour of Southeast Asia, which he undertook as Britain’s envoy for international trade. That proved to be the catalyst for his arrest. February 2: Mountbatten-Windsor leaves his mansion at Windsor Castle to live in a much-smaller property on the king’s Sandringham Estate. February 9: The king indicates that he is ready to “support” police examining claims that his brother gave confidential information to Epstein. February 19: Mountbatten-Windsor is arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Thames Valley Police, which oversees an area west of London, including Mountbatten-Windsor’s former home, said it was “assessing” reports that Andrew sent trade reports to Epstein in 2010. 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