Britain’s former prince, Andrew, was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office during his tenure as a trade envoy, as UK police intensified investigations linked to the Jeffrey Epstein files.
In an unprecedented development in modern British history, the arrest marks another setback for the ousted royal, who turned 66 on Thursday.
Authorities stripped Andrew of all his titles last year, and his brother, King Charles III, removed him from his former residence.
Thames Valley Police confirmed the arrest in a statement: “As part of the investigation into Andrew, ‘we have today (19/2) arrested a man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office,’” without naming the suspect, in line with standard UK practice.
Several British media outlets reported that unmarked vehicles, believed to be police cars, arrived early on Thursday at the Sandringham estate in eastern England, where Andrew now lives.
Recent disclosures suggested that Andrew shared potentially confidential documents with convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during his time as the UK’s trade envoy.
In a November 2010 email reviewed by AFP, Andrew appeared to send Epstein reports concerning Vietnam, Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Singapore following an official visit to Asia.
Reports also indicate that Andrew, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, later provided the American financier with details of the trip—on which Epstein’s business associates accompanied him—along with information about investment opportunities.
Authorities eventually stripped Andrew of his titles after one of Epstein’s victims alleged that traffickers forced her to have sex with him. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing connected to Epstein.
King Charles has expressed “concern” about his brother’s conduct and recently issued an unprecedented statement confirming that Buckingham Palace stands “ready to support” police inquiries.
The BBC reported that official guidance requires trade envoys to maintain strict confidentiality regarding sensitive commercial or political information obtained during official visits.
Andrew served as Britain’s trade envoy for ten years from 2001, but his association with Epstein triggered a prolonged and dramatic fall from public favour.
Police Forces Assess Allegations
At least nine UK police forces have confirmed that they are reviewing reports that appear to link Andrew to Epstein.
Surrey Police announced on Wednesday that they had become “aware” of a redacted report alleging “human trafficking and sexual assaults on a minor” between 1994 and 1996 in Virginia Water, a village in southeastern England.
The allegations surfaced in a recent tranche of documents released by the US Department of Justice as part of its investigation into Epstein, who died in prison in 2019.
After examining available records, Surrey Police stated: “After reviewing our systems using the limited information available to us, we found no evidence of these allegations being reported to Surrey Police.
“We therefore encourage anyone with information in relation to these allegations to report this to us.”
The force did not identify any individuals connected to the claims.
The development follows calls from prominent figures, including former UK prime minister Gordon Brown, urging authorities to examine dozens of flights linked to Epstein that arrived at UK airports over several decades.
Writing in the New Statesman last week, Brown stated that he had been “told privately that the investigations related to the former Prince Andrew did not properly check vital evidence of flights”.
“I have asked the police to look at this as part of the new inquiry,” he added, suggesting that “the authorities never knew what was happening”.
Meanwhile, London’s Metropolitan Police has launched a separate investigation into the relationship between the UK’s former ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson, and Epstein.