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LAST UPDATE | 1 hr ago
POLICE HAVE ARRESTED Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on suspicion of misconduct in public office, Thames Valley Police have said.
The former British prince and younger brother of King Charles was reportedly arrested at his home on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk this morning.
Pictures from this morning appeared to show unmarked police cars attending Wood Farm in Norfolk, with plain-clothed officers appearing to gather outside the property.
Thames Valley Police previously said the force is reviewing allegations that a woman was trafficked to the UK by Jeffrey Epstein to have a sexual encounter with Mountbatten-Windsor, and claims he shared sensitive information with the paedophile while serving as the UK’s trade envoy.
Today is Mountbatten-Windsor’s 66th birthday.
Neither King Charles or Buckingham Palace was informed in advance of the arrest.
In a statement released around 10am Thames Valley Police said they arrested a man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office. In keeping with the usual approach when people are arrested for questioning, they did not name him.
They are also carrying out searches at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk.
The man remains in police custody at this time, police said.
Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright said: “Following a thorough assessment, we have now opened an investigation into this allegation of misconduct in public office.
“It is important that we protect the integrity and objectivity of our investigation as we work with our partners to investigate this alleged offence.
“We understand the significant public interest in this case, and we will provide updates at the appropriate time.”
King Charles has said “the law must take its course” after expressing his “deepest concern” over the arrest of his brother.
The King said in a written statement released at midday: “I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office.
“What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities.
“In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and co-operation.
Let me state clearly: the law must take its course.
“As this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter. Meanwhile, my family and I will continue in our duty and service to you all.”
The Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate, have not commented publicly yet, but it is understood that they support the King’s statement.
Sandringham Estate is one of the royal residences and Mountbatten-Windsor moved to a property there last year after he forced to give up his Windsor home, Royal Lodge.
The move came after it emerged he had been paying a peppercorn rent for the property, which garnered criticism.
Before the arrest this morning, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that no one is above the law and that Mountbatten-Windsor should speak to the authorities about the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
“Anybody who has any information should testify. So whether it’s Andrew or anybody else, anybody who has got relevant information should come forward to whatever the relevant body is,” he told BBC Breakfast.
“One of the core principles in our system is that everybody is equal under the law, and nobody is above the law, and it is really important that is applied across the board.”
Sean Coughlan, a royal correspondent for the BBC said it is “another extraordinary development in what has been an extraordinary story”.
Mountbatten-Windsor has always denied any wrongdoing.
Misconduct in public office carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Emails released by the US Department of Justice appeared to show Mountbatten-Windsor sharing reports of official visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore.
One email, dated November 2010, appeared to be forwarded by Mountbatten-Windsor five minutes after being sent by his then-special adviser Amir Patel.
In another, on Christmas Eve 2010, he appeared to send Epstein a confidential brief on investment opportunities in the reconstruction of Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
Yesterday, the Metropolitan Police said it was also looking at allegations Andrew’s protection officers turned a “blind eye” to his visits to Epstein’s island, Little St James.
Further documents released last month showed Andrew crouched over an unidentified woman.
Former prime minister Gordon Brown said he has today submitted a five-page memorandum to various UK police constabularies regarding Mountbatten-Windsor.
“This memorandum provides new and additional information to that which I submitted last week to the Met, Essex and Thames Valley police forces where I expressed my concern that we secure justice for trafficked girls and women,” he said in a statement.
The family of Virginia Giuffre have said their “broken hearts have been lifted” after the news of Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest.
Giuffre wrote a book before she died called Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice.
In the memoir, she claimed she was forced to have sex with Epstein’s circle of elite clients, including, she alleged, Mountbatten-Windsor.
In a statement today, Sky and Amanda Roberts and Danny and Lanette Wilson, said: “At last.
“Today, our broken hearts have been lifted at the news that no one is above the law, not even royalty.
“On behalf of our sister, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, we extend our gratitude to the UK’s Thames Valley Police for their investigation and arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
“He was never a prince.
“For survivors everywhere, Virginia did this for you.”
Scotland’s former first minister Humza Yousaf credited the victims of Epstein – including Virginia Giuffre – for bringing “scrutiny” upon the convicted sex offender’s friends.
In a post on X, Yousaf said: “Due process matters but so does accountability. For far too long, wealth, titles and status have protected men.”
He said he hopes justice is achieved.
Contains reporting by the Press Association
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