King Charles’ younger brother Andrew Mountbatten–Windsor was on Thursday arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office over allegations he sent confidential government documents to Jeffrey Epstein.
Thames Valley Police said earlier this month officers were considering allegations that Mountbatten–Windsor had passed documents to the late convicted sex offender, according to files released by the U.S. government.
“Thames Valley Police have opened an investigation into an offence of misconduct in public office,” the force said in a statement on X.
“A man in his sixties from Norfolk has been arrested and remains in police custody. As per national guidance we will not name the arrested man.”
Earlier newspapers had reported that six unmarked police cars and around eight plain clothed officers had arrived at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate in eastern England where Mountbatten–Windsor, whose 66th birthday falls on Thursday, now lives.
Why Andrew Mountbatten Was Stripped Of “Prince” Title By King Charles
King Charles III stripped Andrew of his title as prince in October, amid renewed scrutiny following the release of additional Epstein-related documents by the US Department of Justice. The King also initiated proceedings to remove Andrew from his residence at Windsor, where he had lived since 2003.
Reports earlier this month indicated that Andrew had relocated to Norfolk after the holiday season and was to be provided accommodation on the King’s private Sandringham estate, along with financial support, CNN reported.
According to the official order, published in the London Gazette on Monday, December 1, 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 has also been cancelled and annulled, and his name will be erased from the Register of the Order.
The former prince, the second son of the late Queen Elizabeth, has always denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, and said he regrets their friendship. But he has not responded to requests for comment since the latest release of documents.
What Epestein Files Revealed About Him
The former Prince Andrew, Duke of York, has been stripped of his royal title and evicted from his mansion due to his relationship with Epstein and faces a possible investigation into whether he shared confidential trade documents with him. Andrew rebuffed requests by the Justice Department to cooperate in multiple criminal investigations but also settled a lawsuit brought by one of Epstein’s victims in 2022, making an undisclosed payment without admitting wrongdoing.
The Justice Department files include several photos of him with women, including one where he is kneeling over a woman and another showing him lying across the laps of several women.
In another photograph, Mountbatten-Windsor’s hand was seen seemingly around the bare waist of a 17-year-old Virginia Giuffre, who would later claim she was forced to have sex with the royal, a claim he has always denied.
Police had earlier said they were reviewing allegations that a woman was trafficked to the UK by Epstein to have a sexual encounter with Andrew, CNN reported.
What Were His Ties With Sex Offender
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor appears to have knowingly shared confidential information with Jeffrey Epstein from his official work as trade envoy in 2010 and 2011, according to material in the latest release of files in the US seen by the BBC.
Emails from the recently-released batch of Epstein files show the former prince passing on reports of visits to Singapore, Hong Kong and Vietnam and confidential details of investment opportunities.
Under official guidance, trade envoys have a duty of confidentiality over sensitive, commercial, or political information about their official visits.
Mountbatten–Windsor had been reported to police by the anti-monarchy campaign group Republic following the release of more than 3 million pages of documents relating to Epstein, who was convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008.
Those files suggested Mountbatten–Windsor had in 2010 forwarded to Epstein reports about Vietnam, Singapore and other places he had visited on official trips.
Thames Valley Police and the Crown Prosecution Service have previously said that they were in discussions about the case. Police said allegations of misconduct in public office, which is a ‘Common Law’ offence and so is not covered by written statute legislation, involved “particular complexities”.
(With inputs from Reuters and ANI)
