British police on Thursday evening released Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, after holding him in custody for several hours. His arrest has once again deepened the monarchy’s long-running crisis linked to his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Earlier the same day, Andrew was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The arrest followed an investigation by Thames Valley Police, which said it was assessing a complaint related to the alleged sharing of confidential government material with Epstein.
Andrew has consistently denied all wrongdoing connected to Epstein. After questioning, police released him under investigation. He was later seen leaving Aylsham police station in Norfolk on Thursday evening.
Why Was Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor Arrested?
Police arrested Andrew at around 08:00 GMT on Thursday at the King’s Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, where he had been staying. The arrest coincided with his 66th birthday.
The development follows years of intense scrutiny over Andrew’s relationship with Epstein. According to the Crown Prosecution Service, misconduct in public office is a serious offence that carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
While police have not confirmed the exact grounds for the arrest, documents released by the U.S. Justice Department suggest investigators may be examining whether Andrew improperly shared confidential government information with Epstein during his time as a UK trade envoy between 2001 and 2011.
King Charles and Palace Not Informed in Advance
It is understood that King Charles III and Buckingham Palace were not informed before Andrew’s arrest. Officers from Thames Valley Police reportedly acted without giving prior notice to the Royal Household.
Epstein Files and Police Focus
BBC News UK home affairs correspondent Daniel Sandford said the investigation could involve documents connected to Epstein. Andrew’s public reputation has long been overshadowed by his friendship with Epstein, who died in a Manhattan jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
One of Epstein’s victims, Virginia Giuffre, filed a lawsuit against Andrew in August 2021 under the Child Victims Act. She accused him of sexually abusing her when she was a minor.
Giuffre told People, “my attorney filed suit against Prince Andrew for sexual abuse under the Child Victims Act. As the suit lays out in detail, I was trafficked to him and sexually abused by him.”
Andrew has repeatedly denied the allegations and has said he never met Giuffre.
Andrew’s Relationship With King Charles and Prince William
In recent years, royal commentators have questioned whether King Charles acted too late in taking firm action against his brother. Andrew was stripped of royal duties and titles only after years of criticism over the monarchy’s handling of the scandal.
There has also been public debate about whether Charles, who is undergoing cancer treatment, should abdicate in favour of his son Prince William, who has reportedly urged the royal family to distance itself from Andrew.
The controversy has revived memories of King Edward VIII’s abdication in 1936, one of the most serious crises in modern royal history.
Royal columnist Tom Sykes said on his “The Royalist” podcast before Andrew’s arrest, “If it emerges that Charles did know a good bit about what Andrew was doing, I think that we do move to the previously unthinkable situation where Charles has to potentially step down.”
Legal Settlement and Financial Controversy
Sykes cited a report by The Sun, claiming Charles could no longer argue “plausible deniability” regarding Andrew’s legal troubles. The report alleged that Charles, while still Prince of Wales, contributed about $2 million toward a $16 million loan used by Andrew to reach an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre in 2022.
The settlement led Giuffre to drop her U.S. lawsuit, sparing Andrew from testifying in court. Andrew has denied that he abused Giuffre or even knew her.
According to The Sun, most of the settlement funds were provided by the late Queen Elizabeth II. Sykes wrote that if Charles helped fund the settlement, it shows that “he and his office were fully involved in covering up Andrew’s behavior.”
He added, “This idea that Charles (wasn’t made aware) of what was going on (with Andrew) beggars belief.” “But what I do think is that Charles is certainly not blameless in this.”
Prine Andrew’s Royal Status and Loss of Titles
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has never been King. He is the second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip and the younger brother of King Charles III.
At the time of his birth in 1960, Andrew was second in line to the British throne. As of February 2026, he is eighth in the line of succession. Following the Epstein controversy, Andrew stepped back from royal duties in 2019. In January 2022, Queen Elizabeth II removed his military titles and royal patronages, effectively ending his role as a working royal.
