Here’s the latest.

 

Updated

Feb. 19, 2026, 4:02 p.m. ET10 minutes ago

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/02/19/world/uk-prince-andrew-arrest-epstein

Megan Specia Michael D. Shear and Lizzie DeardenReporting from London

 

Here’s the latest.

The British police on Thursday evening released Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, after taking him into custody for several hours, intensifying a long-running crisis for the monarchy over his ties to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

 

The detention and questioning of Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor, once seen as a dashing war hero and the favorite son of Queen Elizabeth II, was a staggering blow for the monarchy. It was the first time in modern history that a member of the British royal family had been arrested. The last time was in 1649, when Charles I was executed for treason during the English Civil War.

 

The authorities said they had arrested Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor on suspicions of misconduct in public office, without providing details. The arrest came amid reports that the former prince had shared confidential information with Mr. Epstein while serving as a British trade envoy.

 

Under British law, suspects are often released after questioning but later charged. The Thames Valley Police, who is carrying out the inquiry, said in a statement on Thursday evening that “the arrested man has now been released under investigation.”

 

Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied wrongdoing. His representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

 

Buckingham Palace has dogged by scandal for years over separate allegations that the former prince sexually abused a young woman. In an effort to stem the fallout for the monarchy, King Charles III last year stripped his brother of his royal titles and evicted him from the Royal Lodge, his sprawling residence in Windsor.

 

In a remarkable written statement, King Charles confirmed his brother’s arrest. A spokesman said that Buckingham Palace had not been informed of the arrest before it took place Thursday morning.

 

The police were seen on Thursday morning at the Sandringham Estate, the privately owned 20,000-acre country retreat of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in Norfolk, England, where Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor is living.

 

Here’s what else to know.

Royal response: King Charles said he supported a “full, fair and proper process” regarding the investigation of his brother, adding that he backed the authorities involved: “In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and cooperation.” He added, “Let me state clearly: The law must take its course.”

 

New disclosures: The British police have not released details on the specifics of the investigation, but a number of documents released by the U.S. Justice Department last month suggest they may be investigating whether he improperly shared confidential government documents with Jeffrey Epstein.

 

Earlier accusations: Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of Mr. Epstein’s victims, said that the financier had trafficked her to Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor around 2001, when she was a teenager, and that he had forced her to have sex multiple times. In 2022, he paid Ms. Giuffre an undisclosed sum to settle a lawsuit in a New York court in which she said he had sexually abused her when she was 17. Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor, who did not admit to any of Ms. Giuffre’s accusations against him in announcing the settlement, has denied any wrongdoing in relation to his friendship with Mr. Epstein.

 

Broader orbit: The Epstein files have implicated several other members of the British elite. The police are investigating whether Peter Mandelson, a longtime British political operative who served as ambassador to the United States, committed “misconduct in public office” by sharing sensitive government documents with Mr. Epstein. He denies any criminal wrongdoing. The latest files also revealed that Sarah Ferguson, Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor’s ex-wife and the onetime Duchess of York, had carried on a long and personal correspondence with Mr. Epstein long after the disgraced financier was convicted of soliciting prostitution in 2008.