Today, King Charles III of Britain remarked that “the law must take its course” after police detained his brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, on suspicion of misconduct in public service.
The monarch stated in a statement from Buckingham Palace, “What now follows is the full, fair, and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the right way and by the right authorities.” We fully endorse and will work with them on this, as I have mentioned before.
The King said, “The law must take its course,” and added, “As this process goes on, it would not be right for me to say anything else about this matter.”
“While this is going on, my family and I will keep doing our duty and serving you all.”
Reports from AFP said that Thames Valley Police confirmed the arrest and early morning raids at two residences linked to Andrew.
“We have arrested a man in his sixties from Norfolk today on suspicion of misconduct in public office. We are also searching homes in Berkshire and Norfolk.” “The man is still in police custody,” the police added.
Police said they wouldn’t name the person who was arrested because of U.K. rules. When asked to confirm that Andrew, 66, had been arrested, the police told people to read their official statement.
“We have now opened an investigation into this claim of misconduct in public office after a full review,” stated Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright. While we work with our partners to look into this alleged crime, it’s crucial that we keep our inquiry honest and fair.
The police in Norfolk said they are helping with the inquiry.
The arrest came after allegations that unmarked police cars and officers in plain clothes were seen visiting Wood Farm, where Andrew lives now on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, early this morning. The searches happened on his 66th birthday.
Thames Valley Police had claimed earlier that they were looking into suspicions that Andrew shared secret government reports with Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died. However, they have not said what the precise charges were that led to the arrest. The reports are said to have included excursions to Singapore, China, Hong Kong, and Vietnam in 2010 and 2011.
The claims come from letters made public by the U.S. Department of Justice as part of its last release of material relating to Epstein. One email, which was first written to someone named “The Duke” and then sent to Epstein, talked of visit reports for Southeast Asia that were attached. Another seemed to describe an investment chance in Afghanistan.
After a picture came out showing Andrew leaning over a woman, whose name and the situation in which the picture was taken are still unknown, further attention was paid to the situation. The picture was shown as U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi was giving testimony to the House Judiciary Committee.
Police have also looked into the claim that Epstein sent a lady to Andrew at the Royal Lodge in Windsor in 2010. A representative from Thames Valley Police had claimed before that the information was being looked at according to standard processes.
Andrew has always said he did nothing wrong.
The latest probe has brought up old issues about Andrew’s ties with Epstein, who was first convicted in 2008 of state counts relating to prostitution, including involving a juvenile. He died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while waiting for his trial on federal sex trafficking accusations.
Andrew’s connections to Epstein got a lot of attention throughout the world after his 2019 appearance on BBC’s Newsnight, in which he refuted Virginia Giuffre’s claims that he was one of Epstein’s most famous accusers. Andrew said he didn’t remember meeting Giuffre and doubted the legitimacy of a photo of them with Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence.
Because of a civil sexual abuse action brought by Giuffre, Andrew lost his military titles and royal patronages in January 2022. The next month, he settled the claim for an undisclosed amount without admitting fault. In late 2025, he lost the rest of his titles after more accusations came to light.
When asked if Andrew should testify before the U.S. Congress, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated, “Nobody is above the law.” This was before the announcement of the arrest.
He told the BBC, “Anyone who knows something should testify, whether it’s Andrew or someone else.”
Buckingham Palace has said again that the specific claims are for Andrew to deal with, but the King would back the police if they were asked to help in the investigations.
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