Former Prince Andrew arrested in Britain after Epstein revelations

By MEGAN SPECIA and MICHAEL D. SHEAR

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 convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Authorities had arrested the former prince on suspicions of misconduct in public office after accusations that he shared confidential information with Epstein while serving as a British trade envoy. Under British law, suspects are often released after questioning but later charged.

The Thames Valley Police said in a statement Thursday evening that “the arrested man has now been released under investigation.”

The arrest underscored a striking contrast in the official responses to the Epstein files. British authorities have moved aggressively to investigate the possibility of crimes emerging from the 3 million pages of correspondence with Epstein, while police in the United States have not.

Buckingham Palace has been clouded 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, Charles confirmed his brother’s arrest. A spokesperson said Buckingham Palace had not been informed of the arrest before it took place Thursday morning.

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

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

Here’s what else to know:

— Royal response: 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: 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 Mountbatten-Windsor improperly shared confidential government documents with Epstein.

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

— Broader orbit: The Epstein files have implicated several other members of the British elite. 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 Epstein. He denies any criminal wrongdoing. The latest files also revealed that Sarah Ferguson, Mountbatten-Windsor’s ex-wife and the onetime Duchess of York, had carried on a long and personal correspondence with Epstein long after the disgraced financier was convicted of soliciting prostitution in 2008.