Main Points
- Britain’s former prince Andrew has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
- It is understood neither British king Charles nor Buckingham Palace were informed in advance of the arrest earlier this morning.
- “The law must take its course,” says Charles “who expresses deepest concern" over allegations against his younger brother
- Former British prime minister Gordon Brown says he gave information to police expressing concern “that we secure justice for trafficked women”.
- Police searches of Andrew’s former home at the Royal Lodge, in Windsor, are ongoing.
Arrest will hopefully show accountability ‘regardless of how rich and powerful you are’ – US congressman
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 [Mountbatten-Windsor] 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 co-operate 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.”
Wales first minister says it is ‘a serious situation’ and ‘everybody should be treated the same’
The first minister of Wales Eluned Morgan has said she was “shocked” by the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
She said: “I think we’ve all been shocked by what’s been happening and, clearly, now there’s been an arrest, and it’s in police hands, so I can’t comment further, but it’s a serious situation.
“But everybody should be treated the same.”
Charles has carried on with his duties as monarch after he vowed the royal family would “continue in our duty and service to you all” in the wake of the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
In a statement on Thursday, he insisted the “law must take its course” as he expressed his “deep concern” over allegations of misconduct in public office against his younger brother.
The British king stripped the former duke of his right to be a prince and his Duke of York title four months ago amid the ongoing scandal surrounding Mountbatten-Windsor’s links to Jeffrey Epstein.
The monarch conducted three separate in-person audiences at St James’s Palace at around midday on Thursday as planned.
He welcomed the Spanish ambassador Emma Aparici Vazquez de Parga, the ambassador of El Salvador Francisco Lima Mena and the Kenyan high commissioner Maurice Makoloo in the royal residence’s ornate red Throne Room.
What is misconduct in public office?
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office and is in police custody.
He is the first senior royal in modern history to be arrested. But what exactly is misconduct in public office and what could happen next?
According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the offence is defined as “serious wilful abuse or neglect of the power or responsibilities of the public office held”.
It happens when a public office holder wilfully neglects to perform his or her duty or wilfully misconducts him or herself, to such a degree as to amount to an abuse of the public’s trust in that office.
The offence technically carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, but in this case that maximum would be extremely unlikely, experts have said.
In recent years, prison officers have been prosecuted for the offence after having inappropriate relationships with inmates, as well as police officers leaking information.
Being a member of the royal family will not provide Mountbatten-Windsor any protection from prosecution or going to jail. As the reigning monarch, Charles is the only royal with sovereign immunity.
Misconduct in public office is notoriously difficult to define, let alone prove, with only 191 people convicted between 2014 and 2024.
Authorities will have to find clear evidence that Mountbatten-Windsor was in a public office role, and that he knowingly abused or exploited his position.
Former British prime minister Gordon Brown has said he has submitted a five-page memorandum to the Metropolitan, Surrey, Sussex, Thames Valley and other relevant UK police constabularies.
“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.
Scottish first minister John Swinney has told the Scottish parliament: “The announcement in relation to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor obviously relates to a live case and I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to comment upon that.”
Police searches of Mountbatten-Windsor’s former home at the Royal Lodge, in Windsor, are ongoing. Officers can be seen at the gates of the sprawling property, while the press are being kept at an outer entrance.
Nobody is above the law, says UK’s deputy prime minister
British deputy prime minister David Lammy has said “nobody in this country is above the law” and that the police investigation “must happen in the usual way”.
Speaking to BBC News at the India AI Impact Summit in Delhi, he said: “As justice secretary – and as the prime minister has said – nobody in this country is above the law. And this is now a police investigation and that must happen in the usual way.”
Police did not give British king Charles advance notice of Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest.
It is understood neither he nor Buckingham Palace were informed in advance of the arrest earlier this morning.
Charles has said it was with “deepest concern” he had learned about the arrest of his younger brother and that police have “our full and wholehearted support and co-operation”.
‘No one is above the law, not even royalty,’ says family of Virginia Giuffre
Virginia Giuffre’s family have said that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest shows that “no one is above the law”.
Giuffre was one of the most prominent victims of the US financier Jeffrey Epstein who also alleged she had been sexually trafficked to Mountbatten-Windsor. She took her own life in April 2025, aged 41.
The statement says: “At last, today our broken hearts have been lifted with the news that no one is above the law – not even royalty.
“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.
“He was never a prince. For survivors everywhere, Virginia did this for you.”
Elsewhere, British queen Camilla has arrived for an engagement in Westminster just hours after police confirmed Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
She was greeted by representatives of Sinfonia Smith Square where she will attend a lunchtime orchestral concert.
‘The law must take its course’, says Charles who expresses ‘deepest concern’
Charles has said “the law must take its course” after expressing his “deepest concern” over the arrest of his brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
In a statement, he said: “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.”
Before the arrest was announced, British prime minister Keir Starmer told BBC Breakfast “nobody is above the law” when asked about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
Starmer added: “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.”
Here is a helpful timeline that goes right up to the stripping of Mountbatten-Windsor’s titles and his exit from Royal Lodge.
Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest appears to be the first of a UK royal since king Charles I in the 17th century following his defeat in the English civil war.
In March 1554, queen Mary I ordered the arrest of her half-sister, princess Elizabeth, following suspicions of involvement in Wyatt’s Rebellion.
Princess Elizabeth was imprisoned in the Tower of London for two months before being moved to house arrest at Woodstock. She was eventually released after failing to be directly linked to the plot.
Mountbatten-Windsor’s relationship with Epstein came under renewed scrutiny this year when the US justice department released millions of documents relating to the disgraced financier.
Documents showed that Mountbatten-Windsor had advocated for Epstein on a state visit to the United Arab Emirates with Britain’s late queen Elizabeth in 2010.
They also showed that he had shared confidential information acquired as a result of his trade role with Epstein and his associates.
The files also contained an image of Mountbatten-Windsor on all fours above a young woman.
It was unclear to which activities the arrests were related. Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied any financial or sexual wrongdoing arising from his links with Epstein and his circle.
Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest comes days after Buckingham Palace said it would “stand ready to support” the police if approached over the claims made against him.
A spokesman for Buckingham Palace added that British king Charles III had made clear his “profound concern” over his brother’s alleged conduct.
Mountbatten-Windsor is effectively no longer a royal, after he was stripped by the monarch of both his right to be a prince and his dukedom late last year over his association with Epstein.
He does, however, remain in the line of succession – he is eighth in line to the throne, having gradually moved down after being born second in line.
Police assessing allegations
Police have been assessing allegations that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor shared sensitive information with the billionaire child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein when he was a UK trade envoy.
Thames Valley police previously said the force was reviewing allegations that a woman was trafficked to the UK by Epstein to have a sexual encounter with Mountbatten-Windsor, and claims he shared sensitive information with the disgraced financier while serving as the UK’s trade envoy.
Mountbatten-Windsor has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in relation to his friendship with Epstein.
Oliver Wright, the force’s assistant chief constable, 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.”
Britain’s former prince Andrew has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Photographs of unmarked police cars and plainclothes officers at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, England, were published on Thursday.
A statement from Thames Valley police said: “We have today (19/2) 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 on Thursday.
Follow irishtimes.com for updates throughout the day.
