Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor Detained by British Authorities Amid Misconduct Allegations

In a surprising development from London, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, previously known as Prince Andrew and sibling to King Charles III, found himself under arrest on Thursday. Authorities took him into custody on allegations of misconduct in public office, as reported by ABC News.

Thames Valley Police issued a statement revealing that a man in his sixties from Norfolk was apprehended under suspicion of public office misconduct. In conjunction with the arrest, police conducted searches at properties located in both Berkshire and Norfolk.

The police noted, “The individual is currently in custody. Following national guidelines, we are not releasing the man’s identity at this time.”

Images captured at Wood Farm, part of the Sandringham estate in Eastern England, depicted plainclothes officers arriving in several unmarked vehicles. Coincidentally, the arrest occurred on Andrew’s 66th birthday.

This incident comes in the wake of newly surfaced documents that reveal communication links between Andrew and the late Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender.

Several emails released by the U.S. Justice Department showed Epstein’s correspondence with a Andrew’s aide David Stern and suggest the royal may have planned to use his role as a special U.K. representative for trade and investment to further his own business interests.

The emails in question date back to 2010. Andrew served as a British trade envoy from 2001 until 2011, when Buckingham Palace announced that he would give up the role following criticism over his friendship with controversial figures, including Epstein.

Andrew has previously denied wrongdoing with respect to Epstein.

Thames Valley Police told ABC News last week that they were assessing reports of Andrew’s alleged misconduct in office as trade envoy.

“We can confirm receipt of this report and are assessing the information in line with our established procedures,” a Thames Valley Police spokesperson said in a statement on Feb. 9.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

ABC News’ Angeline Jane Bernabe, James Hill and Melanie Schmitz contributed to this report.