Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has launched a legal challenge against the courts and police over searches linked to Jeffrey Epstein at his former homes in Windsor and Sandringham.
The disgraced former prince has served Thames Valley Police (TVP) and the Old Bailey with a judicial review claim, which is understood to question the legality of the search warrants used by officers.
Police searched Andrew’s belongings at Marsh Farm in Norfolk in February after arresting him on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
The arrest followed the publication of material suggesting that Andrew had shared sensitive information with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The former Duke of York has asked a judge to determine whether TVP acted lawfully when it searched his former residence at Royal Lodge in Windsor and his home on the Sandringham Estate.
The proceedings are highly confidential, with a closed-door hearing scheduled this week. Mr Justice Hilliard is expected to consider an application to keep at least some details of the judicial review private.
If successful, the challenge would mark the first time in almost 400 years that a royal had contested the legality of criminal proceedings, dating back to the trial of Charles I in 1649.
Andrew’s arrest, which came on his 66th birthday, was the first of a British royal in more than 350 years and has been described as one of the most extraordinary incidents in modern royal history.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor leaves Aylsham Police Station after being released from custody
The former Duke of York appeared shellshocked after spending 11 hours in police custody
At 8am, police arrived at the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk in unmarked cars. Andrew had been staying there for two weeks.
The former prince was taken to Aylsham police station, around 40 miles away, where he was interviewed under caution as plain-clothes officers searched the property.
At the same time, TVP officers arrived at Royal Lodge, the Windsor Great Park mansion Andrew had called home for 22 years.
He had been made to leave the property earlier that month amid growing scrutiny over his relationship with Epstein.
The public backlash intensified after photographs showed Andrew riding horses, smiling and waving at members of the public. The images reportedly angered his brother, King Charles, who is understood to have subsequently evicted him from the residence.
Sarah Ferguson was also told to leave Royal Lodge alongside Mountbatten-Windsor after living there for 18 years.
She is believed to have spent much of her time in hiding across Europe since the pair lost their royal titles last October, following intense public scrutiny of Andrew’s links to Epstein.
Andrew was released under investigation 11 hours after his arrest.
As he was driven away from the police station, photographers captured the now-infamous image of Andrew slumped in the vehicle and attempting to shield himself from the waiting cameras.
The search at Sandringham concluded on the day of his release, while the operation at Windsor continued until the following week.
The warrants for these searches were sought by TVP and granted by the Old Bailey.
Andrew served as the UK’s special representative for international trade and investment from 2001 until 2011, when he stepped down amid the controversy over his friendship with Epstein.
His arrest came after emails released as part of the Epstein files suggested Andrew may have shared confidential information with the financier about his official work.
It has been alleged Andrew forwarded reports to the paedophile about his visits to Singapore, China, Hong Kong and Vietnam as well as allegedly sharing a briefing note on investment opportunities in Afghanistan’s Helmand province.
It emerged in May that detectives investigating Andrew could consider allegations of sexual misconduct as part of their inquiry into potential offences.
It is understood that Andrew’s legal team are trying to make a case that these searches were unlawful, with an application made earlier this year being recently granted by a High Court judge.
A judicial review, in effect, acts as an appeal process. It involves a judge examining the lawfulness of a decision or action by a public body.
The details of Andrew’s claim – or how TVP and the Old Bailey may have acted unlawfully – remain unclear.
He has strongly denied any wrongdoing.