Thames Valley Police arrested Prince Andrew, who is now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, on suspicion of misconduct in public office because of his connections to Jeffrey Epstein. The dramatic raid happened at his Sandringham estate home early Thursday morning, which was also his 66th birthday.
Around 8 a.m., unmarked police cars and undercover officers showed up at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate. They arrested the former prince. Authorities confirmed that a man in his sixties from Norfolk was arrested. Searches were going on in Berkshire and Norfolk, and the media named him Mountbatten-Windsor. Police stressed that they can’t give out the name because it could lead to contempt of court.
The arrest is part of an ongoing investigation into claims that Andrew leaked secret government papers to Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender, while he was the UK’s trade representative. It comes after recent investigations into claims of sharing sensitive state information without permission, which have been going on for a long time because of his ties to Epstein. Andrew lost his royal titles in 2022. He has denied doing anything wrong but said he was sorry about the connections.
The arrest of King Charles III’s brother and son of the late Queen Elizabeth II marks the first time the disgraced royal has been arrested for custody. There hasn’t been an official comment from Buckingham Palace yet, but the case puts more pressure on the British royal family.
