• Authorities probe confidential trade documents ex-prince Andrew leaked to late felon; raid Windsor, Sandringham estates
• Misconduct in public office conviction carries maximum sentence of life in Britain
• Crown pledges full cooperation with authorities

LONDON: King Charles III’s younger brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office regarding allegations he sent confidential government documents to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Mountbatten-Windsor, who turned 66 on Thursday, was questioned by detectives from Thames Valley Police after officers arrested him at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate in eastern England. The arrest of the senior royal, currently eighth in line to the throne, is unprecedented in modern times.

The investigation focuses on claims that the former prince passed documents to Epstein while working as Britain’s Special Representative for Trade and Investment. Police files suggest Mountbatten-Windsor had in 2010 forwarded reports about Vietnam, Singapore and other locations to the American financier following official diplomatic trips.

King Charles III issued a statement expressing “deepest concern” regarding the developments but emphasised that Buckingham Palace would not interfere. “Let me state clearly: the law must take its course,” Charles said, noting that authorities had the family’s “full and wholehearted support and cooperation”.

Although the palace was not informed in advance, Charles said, “Meanwhile, my family and I will continue in our duty and service to you all.”

Mountbatten-Windsor has been in police custody while officers search his current residence and the Royal Lodge, his former mansion on the Windsor estate. Images from Thursday showed a fleet of unmarked police cars and plain-clothed officers arriving at the properties.

“Following a thorough assessment, we have now opened an investigation into this allegation of misconduct in public office,” Thames Valley Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright said. “We understand the significant public interest in this case, and we will provide updates at the appropriate time.”

Under British law, a conviction for misconduct in public office carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Such cases are handled in a Crown Court, reserved for the most serious criminal offences.

The arrest follows the release of millions of pages of documents by the US government relating to Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking. The files indicated Mountbatten-Windsor shared sensitive commercial and political information with Epstein, despite official guidance stipulating a strict duty of confidentiality for trade envoys. He held the envoy role for a decade until he was forced to step down in 2011 after his links to Epstein emerged.

Mountbatten-Windsor’s office did not respond to requests for comment.

In 2022, he settled a civil lawsuit in the US brought by the late Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexual abuse when she was a teenager. The current investigation is unrelated to those sexual allegations, though Giuffre’s family welcomed the police action on Thursday.

Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his titles and forced to quit official royal duties in 2019. If criminal charges are filed, he would join a small group of senior British royals formally accused of offences.

Separately, anti-monarchy group Republic reported Mountbatten-Windsor to police over trafficking allegations, and former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called for investigations into Epstein’s travel through British airports.

Meanwhile, former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has also called for a police investigation into the extent of Epstein trafficking women without proper checks by the authorities through London’s Stansted Airport, saying this had been overlooked by previous enquiries into Mountbatten-Windsor.

Essex police said on Wednesday it was looking into the issue.

Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2026