Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the disgraced brother of King Charles III who was until late last year known as Prince Andrew, was arrested by the British police on Thursday morning.
Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor, who was stripped of his royal titles last year over his ties with the American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was taken into custody by the authorities. Late Thursday evening, the BBC reported that he was seen leaving the police department. Charles said that he supported a “full, fair and proper process” in the investigation.
Why was Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor arrested?
The British police have not released details on the specifics of the investigation, saying only that they had arrested a man on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Their statement did not name the man, in accordance with British police rules. Previous reports indicate that Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor may have improperly shared confidential government documents with Mr. Epstein while he served as a trade envoy for the British government from 2001 to 2011.
What else is in the Epstein files?
The U.S. Justice Department recently released a tranche of documents, colloquially known as the Epstein files. Those documents also included photos of Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor appearing to kneel over an unknown woman lying on a floor.
The photos came after years of controversy over damning details about Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor’s alleged sexual abuse of a young woman trafficked to him by Mr. Epstein. Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor has steadfastly denied that he sexually assaulted the woman, Virginia Roberts Giuffre.
Doubts about his account of his relationship with Mr. Epstein — and details of his alleged sexual misconduct in a memoir by Ms. Giuffre published posthumously last year — made his position in the royal family untenable.
There was no mention in Thursday’s police statement of any accusations of sexual abuse or trafficking.
What comes next?
Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor was taken into custody after his arrest but was released on Thursday evening, and was photographed leaving a Norfolk police station in the back of a car. The Thames Valley Police said in a statement that the case remained under investigation.
Under British law, the police generally cannot hold suspects for more than 24 hours without charging them. A court can only grant an extension application to hold them for a maximum of 96 hours.
If the police believe an offense has been committed, they send a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service, which brings charges if it thinks that there is a realistic prospect of conviction and that the case is in the public interest. The process can take several months.
What is misconduct in public office?
The guidance to British prosecutors about the offense says that it is committed when a public officer “willfully misconducts themselves” in a way that abuses the public’s trust, among other offenses.
A conviction would hinge on both the legal definition of “public officer” and also “willful.” The offense carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Public Officer: There is no definition in British law of what a public officer is. Cases are assessed individually. Past prosecutions have included elected officials, government staff workers and members of the armed forces.
Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor was the British government’s trade envoy from 2001 to 2011. He was previously an officer in the Royal Navy. But no case has ever tested whether a member of the royal family could be considered a public officer.
Willful: For an action to be willful, someone would had to have known it to be wrong or have had “reckless indifference as to whether it is wrong or not,” guidance to prosecutors says.
How has the royal family reacted?
Charles put out a statement on Thursday, saying that British authorities had “our full and wholehearted support and cooperation.”
“The law must take its course,” he said, calling the investigative process “full, fair and proper.”
The statement comes after 15 years of the royal family fighting to steer clear of the stink of Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor’s friendship with Mr. Epstein.
The two men’s ties have forced the family into its most serious crisis since the death of Princess Diana in 1997. The scandal has also dwarfed the tabloid storm over Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s public exit from the royal family.
In 2022, Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor was forced to relinquish his military titles and royal charities shortly before he settled a lawsuit with Ms. Giuffre over her claims that he sexually abused her around 2001, while she was under 18.
In late 2025, a memoir by Ms. Giuffre, who had died by suicide earlier in the year, offered more sordid details. As the public outcry grew, Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his royal titles.
Just this month, he was evicted from his residence, the Royal Lodge in Windsor. He moved to a home personally owned by Charles on the grounds of Sandringham, a royal residence.
Amelia Nierenberg is a Times reporter covering international news from London.
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