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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor released from police station
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been seen leaving a police station in a car after almost 12 hours of questioning by police in Norfolk.
He was photographed in the back seat leaving Aylsham Police station on Thursday evening.
Andrew was arrested this morning on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Police have not given any further information at this point.
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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor 'released under investigation', police say
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been released under investigation following his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office, Thames Valley police said.
The force said in a statement: “Thames Valley Police is able to provide an update in relation to an investigation into the offence of misconduct in public office.
“On Thursday we arrested a man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of
misconduct in public office. The arrested man has now been released
under investigation.
“We can also confirm that our searches in Norfolk have now concluded.”
Police searches at his former address, the Royal Lodge in Windsor, Berkshire, are ongoing.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor released from police station
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been seen leaving a police station in a car after almost 12 hours of questioning by police in Norfolk.
He was photographed in the back seat leaving Aylsham Police station on Thursday evening.
Andrew was arrested this morning on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Police have not given any further information at this point.
Virginia Giuffre’s brother and sister-in-law told the BBC’s Newsnight they “celebrated” upon hearing that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Giuffre, who took her own life in April 2025 aged 41, previously alleged Mountbatten-Windsor had sex with her three times as a teenager.
Mountbatten-Windsor has always denied the claim and reached an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre in 2022 which contained no admission of liability or apology.
Amanda Roberts, who is married to Giuffre’s brother Sky Roberts, told the BBC: “We are hopeful that this investigation now starts to open up that further probe into the sexual assault allegations... it is still a win.”
Sky Roberts also told Newsnight he would “continue to commend” the King “for the actions he’s taken”.
“It doesn’t matter your wealth or your power, you don’t have a separate set of laws that applies to you... I think we’re seeing that in the UK right now.”
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor could testify remotely in the US Congress Epstein investigation, according to a Democrat who has led calls for the former duke to face questions under oath about his relationship with the disgraced financier.
Suhas Subramanyam, a member of the US House’s oversight committee, told Sky News: “He can testify remotely. He can testify in person in the UK.”
Subramanyam added: “You know, we are going to New York to meet with the Clintons, for instance.
“We just came from Ohio to meet with [billionaire retail mogul] Les Wexner. And the entire committee doesn’t have to come. You can be certain members who are interested in that particular witness.”
Why has the police said so little about the arrest?
Rajeev Syal
Following a suspect’s arrest, police in England and Wales limit the information they release to the public under guidance which is meant to ensure a fair trial and protect a suspect’s privacy.
While forces rarely formally name an arrested person, they often confirm through back channels their identity, especially if it is deemed to be in the public interest.
Under the College of Police’s national guidance, suspects should not be identified until they have been “charged” - when prosecutors decide that there is a case to answer.
This explains why Thames Valley police released a statement saying: “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.”
After arrest, a case is considered “active” under the Contempt of Court Act, a law which is meant to ensure that public statements or articles do not prejudice future legal proceedings.
Harriet Sherwood
It was shortly after 8am on Thursday when a small fleet of unmarked police cars drew up at Wood Farm on the king’s private Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
Plainclothes officers stepped out into the late winter drizzle and readied themselves for a historic act that the royal family might have been expecting and dreading for weeks. Inside the house, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was perhaps sitting down to a birthday breakfast.
On 19 February 1960 the Queen Elizabeth II gave birth to her third – and some say favourite and most indulged – child at Buckingham Palace. Exactly 66 years later, Andrew – no longer a prince, and ostracised by many members of his family – was about to face the ignominy of being arrested and taken into police custody.
It was, said Maj Gen Alastair Bruce, a historian and royal watcher for Sky News, the “most shocking day for the British crown, to have a former prince of the blood arrested”. The arrest was “about as critical as the institution could face”, he said.
Other commentators described the arrest as extraordinary, unprecedented, spectacular and a body blow.
Here are some more photos this evening from the locations police have been searching in relation to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, as well as Buckingham Palace:
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office by police investigating his dealings with Jeffrey Epstein.
Six unmarked police cars carrying plainclothes officers arrived at the Sandringham estate while the former prince was celebrating his 66th birthday on Thursday.
Officers searched the Norfolk property as well as Mountbatten-Windsor’s former home at the Royal Lodge in Great Windsor Park.
Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian journalist David Pegg.
What is the Royal Lodge and where is it?
Police have been searching the Royal Lodge estate, a few miles south of Windsor Castle, this morning.
It is a Grade II-listed building built originally in the mid-1600s before being developed significantly in the 18th and 19th centuries.
It became a royal accommodation in the early 1800s and had been used by Andrew since 2004, until he moved out earlier this month.
It was known the former prince would be moving out of Royal Lodge in the new year and so the development was not thought to be linked to the latest revelations in the Epstein papers.
A fine art transportation company van and multiple police vehicles have now left the grounds of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s former Berkshire residence.
Thames Valley Police have been searching the Royal Lodge estate, a few miles south of Windsor castle, since Thursday morning.
At around 4pm, a dark blue Gander and White van was seen leaving the outer gates of the Windsor Great Park, which surrounds the Royal Lodge estate, PA reported.
Gander and White describes itself as “one of the world’s leading fine art logistics companies, providing art storage, transport, installation and customs services”.
Two large police vans with tinted windows, each carrying several uniformed officers, were also seen leaving the property.
According to the Crown Prosecution Service’s (CPS) website, misconduct in public office carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
It describes the offence as “a common law offence that can be tried only on indictment” and “concerns serious wilful abuse or neglect of the power or responsibilities of the public office held”.
The CPS guidance continues:
There must be a direct link between the misconduct and an abuse of those powers or responsibilities.
The Court of Appeal has made it clear that the offence should be strictly confined, and it can raise complex and sometimes sensitive issues.
Which police forces are investigating Jeffrey Epstein’s ties to the UK and why?
Sammy Gecsoyler
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on Thursday morning after years of mounting controversy over his relationship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Claims against the former prince have long been in the public domain. However, the recent release of the Epstein files has led to a number of UK police forces saying they are examining a variety of issues linked to Mountbatten-Windsor.
He has always denied claims of any wrongdoing.
Nine police forces are looking into Epstein’s links to UK, including those relating to Mountbatten-Windsor.
The day so far
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office by police investigating the former prince’s dealings with the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
He is expected to be interviewed under criminal caution by detectives over the allegations of misconduct in public office. Police will have to decide whether Mountbatten-Windsor should be detained overnight, and whether to charge him with a criminal offence, release him while their inquiries continue, or take no further action.
Photographs of unmarked police cars and plainclothes officers at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate were published on Thursday morning.
Prosecutors are yet to give advice to the Thames Valley police investigation that today led to the king’s brother being arrested for misconduct in public office. The crown prosecution service authorises criminal charges in England and Wales and a spokesperson confirmed it was yet to give advice to detectives.
King Charles expressed his “deepest concern” over the arrest of his younger brother but added that the “law must take its course” and police had his “full and wholehearted support and cooperation”.
King Charles was met with a mix of shouts and cheers while arriving at an engagement in the Strand area of central London, the PA news agency reported.
Virginia Giuffre’s family said in a statement that Andrew’s arrest showed that “no one is above the law”. They added: “On behalf of our sister, we extend our gratitude to the UK’s Thames Valley police in their investigation and arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.”
A statement from Thames Valley police said: “We have today arrested a man in his 60s 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.”
The arrest came as Mountbatten-Windsor celebrated his 66th birthday at home.
Police had been assessing allegations that the former prince shared sensitive information with Epstein when he was a UK trade envoy.
A Democrat member of the US House Oversight Committee, who has previously called for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to sit for a transcribed interview under oath in front of Congress, has said he hopes the arrest will “show that there will be accountability”.
Suhas Subramanyam said in a statement:
He appears repeatedly in the documents we have uncovered as having knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes and is specifically named by victims as someone who engaged in wrongdoing.
Yet he has continued to ignore our calls to cooperate with the Oversight Committee’s investigation.
We hope today’s arrest will lead to answers and show that there will be accountability even if you hide, regardless of how rich and powerful you are.
Vikram Dodd
Prosecutors are yet to give advice to the Thames Valley police investigation that today led to the king’s brother being arrested for misconduct in public office.
The crown prosecution service authorises criminal charges in England and Wales and a spokesperson confirmed it was yet to give advice to detectives.
What could happen next?
Rajeev Syal
The longest the former prince can be held is 96 hours, but this would require extensions from senior police officers and a magistrates court. In most cases, suspects are held for 12 or 24 hours and are then either charged or released pending further investigation.
If taken to a police station, Andrew will probably be placed in a cell in a custody suite, where he will wait until his police interview. Police will be able to access computer equipment, files and photographs, and can carry out searches of any premises he owns or occupies, or any other premises he controls.
