Britain’s former Prince Andrew, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was arrested Thursday morning, becoming the first senior British royal in modern history.
Later that day, he was photographed leaving the police station. Police said he had been “released following investigation.”
This marks an unusual development in the ongoing scandal surrounding King Charles III’s brother, which has intensified since the US Department of Justice released documents providing new insight into his ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
So what do we know about the former prince’s arrest?
Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in a public office, Thames Valley Police said.
This allegation involves intentional abuse or disregard of the power of a public office. Police have not said what led to his arrest, but Andrew served as Britain’s trade envoy for 10 years from 2001 to 2011.
Documents released last month by the U.S. Department of Justice revealed that the former prince, who was bound by the same confidentiality guidelines as British government ministers, had contact with Epstein while he was a trade envoy.
Thames Valley Police previously said they were investigating whether Mr Mountbatten-Windsor shared confidential material with Mr Epstein during this period, and whether women were trafficked to the UK by Mr Epstein to have sexual contact with the former prince.
Police have not charged Mountbatten-Windsor with a sex crime.
The former crown prince has denied all accusations against him, insisting he never witnessed or suspected any of the acts Epstein is accused of doing. He has not publicly commented on recent allegations of misconduct in office that surfaced after his release from the Justice Department.
An unmarked police car was seen arriving at Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s home on his brother’s Sandringham estate in Norfolk on Thursday, the day of his birthday.
He only moved into the house earlier this month after Charles evicted him from the royal estate in Windsor in the wake of the previous Epstein file.
Uniformed police officers were also seen behind the gates of Andrew’s former home, Royal Lodge, on Thursday.
Norfolk Police, whose jurisdiction includes Sandringham, said they were assisting Thames Valley Police with their investigation.
Police say the search in Norfolk has ended. Officers were searching Andrew’s Wood Farm home on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
What scandals has he faced before?
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest is the latest development in a long-running controversy over his ties to Mr Epstein.
He resigned from royal duties in 2019 following a disastrous interview with the BBC in which he sought to dispel allegations of misconduct.
He said he had “no recollection of ever meeting” Virginia Giuffre, who would later accuse the royal family of having three sexual encounters when they were teenagers.
She sued Mountbatten-Windsor in a New York court in 2021, accusing him of sexual assault. Despite claiming he had never met her, the royal family reportedly paid Giuffre millions of dollars to settle the lawsuit in 2022, refusing to accept any responsibility for wrongdoing.
Further humiliation followed last year when Prince Charles stripped his brother of his princely title and kicked him out of Windsor, making it the most public demotion for a senior British royal since the 1936 abdication crisis.
Prince Charles expressed his “wholehearted” support for the investigation into his brother to continue, stressing in a statement shortly afterward that “the law must take its place.”
He added that he learned of Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest “with deep concern” and reiterated that police could count on Buckingham Palace’s “co-operation” in any investigation. CNN understands that the Prince and Princess of Wales support Charles’ statement.
Several British and American MPs and former politicians also issued statements following Andrew’s arrest.
Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Thursday that he had handed over a “five-page memorandum” about the Epstein file to relevant police, according to British news agency PA Media.
Meanwhile, Jake Auchincloss, a Democratic congressman from Massachusetts, told CNN, “Britain is holding its own country, which has power and privilege, accountable, and the United States should do the same.”
US President Donald Trump called the arrest “disgraceful” without commenting on the relationship between Andrew and Epstein.
“I think it’s unfortunate. I think it’s very sad. I think it’s very bad for the royal family. It’s very, very sad. It’s very sad for me,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One during a visit to Georgia.
The US president lamented the impact of Andrew’s plight on King Charles.
“It’s very sad to see that and to see what’s happening to my brother. (The King) will definitely be coming to our country soon and he’s a great man, the King,” Trump said. Prince Charles is said to be planning a state visit to the United States, possibly in April.
Virginia Giuffre’s family on Thursday expressed “thank you” to Thames Valley Police for their investigation and arrest of the former prince.
The family said in a statement: “Our broken hearts are relieved today when we heard the news that no one is above the law, even members of the royal family.” “He was never a prince. For survivors around the world, Virginia did this for you,” the statement added.
Separately, Spencer T. Kubin, a lawyer for Epstein’s survivors, said Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest “may restore some confidence to those who believed justice was out of reach.”
This development is unprecedented in modern times.
Andrew’s sister, Princess Anne, had a run-in with the law in 2002 when she was charged and fined for attacking two children with her dog. However, she was not arrested on that charge.
To find out when a senior royal official was last arrested, we need to go back to the 17th century and the execution of Charles I.
There are still many unknowns, including the details of the charges and how the case will proceed.
For example, it’s still unclear what specific information led police to make Thursday’s arrest.
