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In Brief
- Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on Thursday after police previously said they were reviewing allegations he shared confidential material.
- King Charles says the authorities have the family’s ‘full and wholehearted support’.
On the occasion of his 66th birthday, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor found himself at the center of a dramatic episode that marked a first in the annals of the British royal family. In a turn of events captured in striking photographs, UK police arrested the once-prominent royal figure.
On Thursday, the former prince was taken into custody and subjected to a lengthy 10-hour interrogation by police authorities on suspicions related to misconduct in public office. This significant development in his life unfolded as public interest in his past dealings continued to swirl.
Despite the intense questioning, Mountbatten-Windsor was released without any charges being filed against him. Throughout the ongoing investigations, he has consistently maintained his innocence, particularly regarding his associations with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted pedophile.
Law enforcement had previously announced that they were examining claims suggesting the former prince may have disclosed confidential information. Such allegations have cast a shadow over his previous role in public service.
During his tenure as the UK’s trade envoy from 2001 to 2011, the former Duke of York was entrusted with significant responsibilities. He had exclusive access to high-level government and business circles, which required him to uphold strict confidentiality concerning sensitive information. This background underscores the gravity of the allegations and the public’s keen interest in the investigation’s outcome.
In 2010, Andrew appears to have forwarded government reports from visits to Vietnam, Singapore and China to Epstein, files released by the US justice department in relation to an investigation into Epstein, the BBC has reported.
The documents also appear to show Andrew forwarded information on investment opportunities in Afghanistan to Epstein, according to the BBC.
Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest is the climax of years of scrutiny and criticism over his connections to Epstein.
From soldier to trade envoy
Mountbatten-Windsor is the third child and second son of the late Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, after his elder brother, King Charles, and sister, Princess Anne.
Away from the high expectation that Charles had to carry as the potential future king through childhood, Mountbatten-Windsor had been reportedly enjoying a close relationship with the Queen and was reportedly the favourite child.
He followed the traditional route for younger royal sons and joined military service, where he served in the Royal Navy for 22 years. During the 1982 Falklands War, he served as a helicopter pilot and participated in combat operations.
In 2001, Mountbatten-Windsor was appointed as Britain’s special representative for international trade and investment, which led to frequent taxpayer-funded travel — the media nicknaming him “Air Miles Andy”.
The fall of a prince
Once a subject of media fascination for his love life, Mountbatten-Windsor was also a regular source of headlines — namely for his financial issues and links to questionable characters, including Epstein.
In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Mountbatten-Windsor was pressured to step down from his trade role over his friendship with Epstein, and in 2011 was forced to give up the position.
In 2015, in US court documents, Mountbatten-Windsor was alleged to have had sex with a woman three times between 1999 and 2002 in London, New York and on Epstein’s private Caribbean island. The woman was a minor under US law, and later identified as Virginia Giuffre.
After Epstein was arrested again in 2019 over charges including the sex trafficking of minors, Mountbatten-Windsor gave a highly-viewed and controversial interview to the BBC, in which he drew heavy criticism for failing to show empathy for Epstein’s victims.
He said a photograph of him and Giuffre could have been a fake and addressed why he had stayed at Epstein’s house after his first conviction for sex offences.
“It was a convenient place to stay. I mean I’ve gone through this in my mind so many times. At the end of the day, with a benefit of all the hindsight that one can have, it was definitely the wrong thing to do,” he said.
“But at the time I felt it was the honourable and right thing to do and I admit fully that my judgement was probably coloured by my tendency to be too honourable but that’s just the way it is.”
Following the backlash to the interviews, he later announced that he was giving up public duties and charity roles “for the foreseeable future”.
In August 2021, Mountbatten-Windsor was sued in a New York court by Giuffre, who alleged the former prince had sex with her when she was 17. Mountbatten-Windsor denied any allegations and said he had never met her. The case was settled for an undisclosed sum.
Mountbatten-Windsor acknowledged Giuffre’s suffering as a victim of sex trafficking. He was also stripped of all military affiliations and royal charity work.
Giuffre died by suicide in Australia in April 2025, aged 41.
How the Epstein files connected to Andrew’s arrest
Last November, the US Congress approved the Epstein Files Transparency Act, followed by a bill signed by President Donald Trump that ordered the justice department to release the files it took during the criminal investigation into Epstein.
Among the collections were emails that showed Mountbatten-Windsor remained in contact with Epstein longer than he previously claimed. In the 2019 BBC interview, the former prince said he hadn’t seen or spoken to him since December 2010, but emails show they spoke in 2011.
Late last year, King Charles announced he would strip all royal titles of his younger brother Mountbatten-Windsor, and he was forced to vacate the Royal Lodge by the end of 2025.
In early February, British police revealed they were assessing reports about Mountbatten-Windsor sending official UK trade documents to Epstein.
On the same day, the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Catherine, issued a statement that said the couple “have been deeply concerned by the continuing revelations” regarding Epstein.
Thames Valley Police, which conducted the arrest of Mountbatten-Windsor, confirmed they alerted the UK Home Office ahead of the arrest.
In a statement, King Charles said the authorities had the family’s “full and wholehearted support and cooperation”.
— With additional reporting by the Australian Associated Press.
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