UK's ex-Prince Andrew arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office

The public broadcaster said Thames Valley Police arrested Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, 66, from Norfolk in England.

Police in a statement refused to identify the accused "as per national guidance," saying the man remains in custody "at this time" and they were carrying out searches at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk.

"Following a thorough assessment, we have now opened an investigation into this allegation of misconduct in public office," said Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright.

The former prince has denied any wrongdoing related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

On Feb. 9, police said they were assessing reports of alleged misconduct "in line with our established procedures."

The younger brother of King Charles served as the UK’s trade envoy from 2001 to 2011. He withdrew from royal duties in 2019 after his connection to Epstein became public.

According to files released recently, on Oct. 7, 2010, Andrew sent Epstein details of his official upcoming trips as trade envoy to Singapore, Vietnam, Shenzhen in China, and Hong Kong.

On Nov. 30, he appeared to have forwarded official reports of those trips—sent by his then-special assistant—to Epstein just after receiving them.

King expresses full support

In a statement from Buckingham Palace, King Charles III said he has 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," he noted.

Charles added: "In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and cooperation."

Saying that "the law must take its course," the king said, as this process continues, it would not be right for him to comment further on this matter.

'Nobody is above the law'

Speaking to the BBC before the arrest, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Mountbatten-Windsor should speak to the authorities in the UK and the US about the 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. In this particular case, we're talking about Epstein, but there are plenty of other cases."

Starmer added: "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 (it) is applied across the board."

On Jan. 30, the US Justice Department released more than 3 million pages of documents, 2,000 videos, and 180,000 images under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was signed into law last November.

The materials include grand jury transcripts and investigative records, though many pages remain heavily redacted. Epstein survivors and victims’ relatives say the release falls short of what the law requires and omits much vital information.

Epstein was found dead by suicide in a New York City jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges involving underage girls.