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While his arrest might have appeared abrupt to the global audience, for the officers on the case, it was the culmination of several days of planning.
The investigation likely began with allegations of misconduct in public office involving Andrew, who remains a contender for the British throne.
Top officials at Thames Valley Police would have needed to evaluate the complaint and weigh the existing evidence before seeking a search warrant.
For the police to search Andrew’s residence at Wood Farm on the Sandringham Estate and his previous abode at Windsor’s Royal Lodge, a magistrate or district judge would have needed to provide legal consent.
With authorization secured, the detailed preparations for the operation could commence.
Once they had the all-clear, planning could begin.
Details of the raid and arrest would have been kept strictly confidential.
The London Telegraph reported that neither Buckingham Palace nor the King were told what was going to happen on the morning of February 19.
A former officer told The Telegraph UK that even the detectives chosen to carry out the confidential operation were probably kept in the dark.
“The team would have simply been told to report to the station in the early hours,” he said.
“They may have even been told to hand over their mobile phones before being given the final briefing, setting out where they were going and what they were doing.”
In the early hours of the morning (UK time), officers drove about 200km from the police headquarters in Oxfordshire to the King’s private Sandringham estate.
The journey would have taken about three hours.
It had just gone 8am when the small fleet of unmarked police cars pulled up at Mountbatten-Windsor’s Wood Farm home.
About 20 plainclothes officers from Thames Valley Police were involved, as well as some from the local Norfolk Constabulary.
They arrested Mountbatten-Windsor at the scene and took him straight for questioning.
The officer tasked with arresting the former royal would have read him the standard warning delivered to any suspect taken into custody.
“You do not have to say anything,” they would have said.
“But it may harm your defence if you do not mention, when questioned, something which you later rely on in court.”
After that, Mountbatten-Windsor would have been ushered into the back of one of the unmarked police cars and driven to a police station for a formal interview.
Police also searched his Wood Farm home and his former home at Royal Lodge.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in custody
At the police station, the former prince likely would have been processed like anyone else.
He would have been checked in at the custody suite, searched, and asked to hand over his phone, jewellery, watch, belt or tie.
A risk assessment would have been carried out to ensure he was afforded appropriate care in custody with regard to any medical issues.
Officers would have explained his rights and he likely would have been fingerprinted, then led to a cell for a formal interview.
The cell wouldn’t have been anything fancy.
Former officers told The Telegraph UK they usually consist of an “austere” room with a toilet, which may be screened off, and a low mattress.
Mountbatten-Windsor would have been given time to speak to his lawyer and may have been offered something to eat and drink before the interview started.
The details of the police interview and what, if anything, the former prince divulged during it have not been made public.
After 11 hours in police custody, Mountbatten-Windsor was released.
It’s unlikely the story will end there.
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