52m agoThu 19 Feb 2026 at 10:36amWhat we know so far
The BBC is reporting that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested at his eastern England home,
Thames Valley Police have confirmed they arrested a man in his 60s in Norfolk on Thursday morning but have not named him.
Police said he was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office and that they are carrying out searches at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk.
It comes after Thames Valley Police began investigating allegations of passing confidential government documents to Jeffrey Epstein.
Reports suggest that police arrived in six unmarked cars with about eight plain-clothes officers, and searches are also ongoing at those addresses.
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10m agoThu 19 Feb 2026 at 11:17amHow did we get here?
The late Queen Elizabeth II’s second son, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, has been the subject of a lot of allegations lately.
Most of the accusations swirling about the former prince have a common thread, in that they stem from his friendship with the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
His arrest today relates to a specific police investigation. Let me step you through it:
UK police have arrested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (once known as Prince Andrew) as part of an investigation into misconduct in a public officeUnder UK law, police must have reasonable grounds to suspect a crime has been committed before arresting someone
That’s what happened today. But why?
As well as being a member of the royal family, Mr Mountbatten-Windsor served as a trade commissioner for the UK from 2001 for around a decadeThe so-called Epstein files, some of which were released by the US Department of Justice earlier this month, sparked allegations Mr Mountbatten-Windsor had sent sensitive UK government information to Epstein during that periodThat, if true, would be illegal
These allegations only surfaced this month, and that’s what the current police investigation and arrest relate to.
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor has faced multiple allegations that he raped at least one child trafficked by Epstein. Those have been around for years, and he has always denied them.
Those accusations saw Mr Mountbatten-Windsor, who was previously a senior royal, step back from official duties in 2019 and last year, he was stripped of his royal titles and grace-and-favour home near London.
21m agoThu 19 Feb 2026 at 11:06am
‘Nobody is above the law’: Starmer
Just hours before Andrew’s arrest, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told the BBC that “nobody is above the law” when he was asked about the former prince.
The Labour prime minister told BBC Breakfast the principle was very important and “has to apply in this case in the same way it would in any other case”.
32m agoThu 19 Feb 2026 at 10:55am
British police promised a speedy decision on Andrew a week ago
A week ago, Thames Valley Police promised to make a quick decision on whether to launch a full investigation into allegations that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor shared confidential trade documents with convicted sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein.
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45m agoThu 19 Feb 2026 at 10:43amWhat police have said
Thames Valley Police have said, as part of an investigation, they have arrested a man in his 60s from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office and are carrying out searches at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk.
“The man remains in police custody at this time,” the statement said.
“We will not be naming the arrested man, as per national guidance.”
Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright said that, following a thorough assessment, the police have opened an investigation into this allegation of misconduct in public office.
“It is important that we protect the integrity and objectivity of our investigation as we work with our partners to investigate this alleged offence,” he said.
“We understand the significant public interest in this case, and we will provide updates at the appropriate time.”