Andrew
Mountbatten-Windsor arrest: how the ‘most shocking’ day unfolded
First
arrest of a senior member of royal family in modern history came on morning of
former prince’s 66th birthday
Harriet
Sherwood
Thu 19
Feb 2026 16.00 GMT
It was
shortly after 8am on Thursday when a small fleet of unmarked police cars drew
up at Wood Farm on the king’s private Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
Plainclothes
officers stepped out into the late winter drizzle and readied themselves for a
historic act that the royal family might have been expecting and dreading for
weeks. Inside the house, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was perhaps sitting down to
a birthday breakfast.
On 19
February 1960 the Queen Elizabeth II gave birth to her third – and some say
favourite and most indulged – child at Buckingham Palace. Exactly 66 years
later, Andrew – no longer a prince, and ostracised by many members of his
family – was about to face the ignominy of being arrested and taken into police
custody.
It was,
said Maj Gen Alastair Bruce, a historian and royal watcher for Sky News, the
“most shocking day for the British crown, to have a former prince of the blood
arrested”. The arrest was “about as critical as the institution could face”, he
said.
Other
commentators described the arrest as extraordinary, unprecedented, spectacular
and a body blow.
As the
news of the royal arrest catapulted across the globe, police embarked on
searches at Mountbatten-Windsor’s former home at Royal Lodge in Windsor and
properties in Norfolk.
Without
naming the man at the centre of their actions, Thames Valley police said: “We
have today arrested a man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of
misconduct in public office … The man remains in police custody at this time.”
Oliver
Wright, an assistant chief constable with Thames Valley police, added:
“Following a thorough assessment, we have now 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.
“We
understand the significant public interest in this case, and we will provide
updates at the appropriate time.”
The king
was not informed in advance of his brother’s arrest, although it can be
expected that the news reached him quickly. After a short period of silence,
Charles made his position crystal clear. “The law must take its course,” he
said in an official statement issued at noon. The police had the royal family’s
“full and wholehearted support and cooperation”.
The
king’s full statement was formal, perhaps necessarily so. It made reference to
Andrew by his full name, without mentioning they were brothers. “I have learned
with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and
suspicion of misconduct in public office. What now follows is the full, fair
and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate
manner and by the appropriate authorities.
“In this,
as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and
cooperation. Let me state clearly: the law must take its course. As this
process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this
matter. Meanwhile, my family and I will continue in our duty and service to you
all.”
The
Prince and Princess of Wales moved swiftly to say they supported Charles’s
statement. The prime minister had also been robust on the subject. “Nobody is
above the law,” Starmer said hours before the arrest. Other senior politicians
echoed the stance.
It is
short of three weeks since the US Department of Justice released millions of
documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein, the US financier and convicted child sex
offender who died in prison before being tried on charges of sex trafficking.
Among Epstein’s vast network of powerful friends and associates was the former
prince.
The files
are still being combed through for what they reveal about Epstein’s activities
and associates. But among the early discoveries were emails that appear to show
the Mountbatten-Windsor, then an official UK trade envoy, forwarding sensitive
government documents and commercial information to Epstein.
One
email, dated November 2010, appeared to be forwarded five minutes after being
sent by Andrew’s then special adviser, Amit Patel. Another, on Christmas Eve
2010, appeared to send Epstein a confidential brief on investment opportunities
in the reconstruction of Helmand province, Afghanistan. Under official
guidance, trade envoys have a duty of confidentiality over sensitive,
commercial or political information about their official visits.
For an
institution that prides itself on service to the nation and promoting Britain’s
interests, the royal family’s discovery that Mountbatten-Windsor had allegedly
used his official role as trade envoy to potentially benefit Epstein and his
associates was a further huge blow.
Mountbatten-Windsor
has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
The
former prince’s friendship with Epstein has been public knowledge for years.
Virginia Giuffre’s claim that he had sex with her – facilitated by Epstein –
when she was 17 was denied by Mountbatten-Windsor, even as he made an
out-of-court settlement, reportedly worth £12m, with his accuser. Giuffre took
her own life last year.
In a
statement on Thursday, Giuffre’s family said their “broken hearts have been
lifted with the news that no one is above the law – not even royalty …. He was
never a prince. For survivors everywhere, Virginia did this for you.”
In
November, after years of swirling allegations and rumours, King Charles finally
took the strongest action available to him against his brother. Andrew was
stripped of his title of “prince” and was given notice to vacate his 30-room
home in Windsor that he occupied on a peppercorn rent. He was excluded from the
traditional royal Christmas celebrations at Sandringham, and his daughters are
thought to have cut off contact with him.
But the
king, who has been heckled by members of the public over his brother’s actions
in recent weeks, cannot take away his royal bloodline. Despite inflicting shame
and scandal on the royals, and now potentially facing criminal charges,
Mountbatten-Windsor remains eighth in line to the throne.
Earlier
this month, Mountbatten-Windsor moved temporarily into nearby Wood Farm, the
scene of the arrest, while his new home on the Sandringham estate, well away
from the public eye, is being prepared.
On
Thursday morning, with his arrest, police were likely to be looking for
computers, phones and other devices that could yield evidence in the form of
emails, texts and images.
Mountbatten-Windsor’s
lawyer or lawyers will have swiftly abandoned any plans for the day in order to
assist their client. They may have advised him to decline to answer questions
at this stage.
Hours
later, on Thursday evening, Andrew was seen leaving Aylsham police station,
slouched in the back of a vehicle, having been released under investigation.
A Thames
Valley police statement confirmed: “The arrested man has now been released
under investigation.
“We can
also confirm that our searches in Norfolk have now concluded.”
The force
said its searches in Berkshire were still under way, and that it would make no
further statement at this time.
Misconduct
in a public office is a complex charge, Wendy Joseph KC told BBC Radio 4’s
World at One. “You have to prove he ‘wilfully misconducted’ himself. There are
quite a few hurdles that need to be crossed,” she said. According to the Crown
Prosecution Service website, the charge carries a maximum sentence of life
imprisonment.
Members
of the royal family have had minor brushes with the law before, such as
Princess Anne being fined under the Dangerous Dogs Act in 2002. But Thursday’s
arrest was the first of a senior member of the royal family in modern history.
The last
royal arrest was in 1647 during the English civil war, when Charles I was
detained by forces aligned with parliament. He was convicted of high treason
and executed on 30 January 1649.
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