DUKE IN HANDCUFFS: ANDREW MOUNTBATTEN-WINDSOR ARRESTED ON HIS 66TH BIRTHDAY
Thames Valley Police detain the King’s brother on suspicion of misconduct in public office — the first arrest of a royal family member in centuries — as Epstein files expose alleged sharing of secret state intelligence
LONDON — Police arrested the former Prince Andrew on Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office, following weeks of new revelations over his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. NBC News The arrest took place on his 66th birthday.
Thames Valley Police confirmed it had arrested a man in his 60s on suspicion of misconduct in public office, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment in the United Kingdom. NBC News Officers did not name him, as is standard practice under British law, but his identity has been widely confirmed by multiple news organisations.
Police said they were searching two addresses — in Berkshire and Norfolk. Mountbatten-Windsor had lived in Windsor’s Royal Lodge in Berkshire until earlier this month; his new home on the Sandringham Estate is in Norfolk. NBC News
WHAT TRIGGERED THE ARREST
The arrest came about two weeks after an anti-monarchy organisation called for police to investigate documents indicating that Andrew shared confidential government information with the late American sex offender when the royal worked as a British trade envoy. CBS News
One email in the latest US release appears to show Mountbatten-Windsor forwarding Epstein a report from his special adviser about the then-prince’s visit to Southeast Asia. NBC News The documents, released by the US Department of Justice, paint a picture of a man who allegedly exploited his official position to maintain and deepen ties with a convicted predator.
THE PHOTOGRAPH — AND THE LIE UNRAVELLED
For years, Mountbatten-Windsor claimed a photograph showing him alongside Virginia Giuffre and Ghislaine Maxwell could have been fabricated. Among the documents released by the US government this year was a draft email that appears to show Maxwell confirming the photograph’s authenticity — writing that in 2001 she was in London when a woman “met a number of friends of mine including Prince Andrew” and that “a photograph was taken.” CBS News
VICTIMS SPEAK
“At last, today, our broken hearts have been lifted at the news that no one is above the law, not even royalty,” Giuffre’s siblings said in a statement. “On behalf of our sister, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, we extend our gratitude to the UK’s Thames Valley Police. He was never a prince. For survivors everywhere, Virginia did this for you.” CBS News
THE PALACE AND GOVERNMENT RESPOND
King Charles III said he had “learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor,” adding: “The law must take its course,” and pledging the royal family’s “full and wholehearted support and co-operation” with authorities. CBS News
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, asked about the arrest, told BBC News simply: “Nobody is above the law.” CBS News
A HISTORIC MOMENT
The arrest marks the first detention of a member of the royal family in centuries and makes Mountbatten-Windsor the most high-profile figure to face criminal accusations in a scandal that continues to sweep in some of the world’s richest and most powerful. NBC News He was stripped of his royal titles last year and is now known only as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
📌 KEY FACTS
- Arrested: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, age 66
- Charge: Suspicion of misconduct in public office
- Force: Thames Valley Police, supported by Norfolk Police
- Maximum sentence: Life imprisonment
- Addresses searched: Berkshire and Norfolk
- King Charles’s response: “The law must take its course”
