What to know about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest

LONDON – Mr Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the disgraced brother of King Charles III, who was until late 2025 known as Prince Andrew, was

arrested by the British police

on the morning of Feb 19.

Mr Mountbatten-Windsor, who was

stripped of his royal titles

in 2025 over his ties with American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was taken into custody by the authorities.

Late on the evening of Feb 19, BBC reported that he was seen leaving the police department. King Charles said that he supported a “full, fair and proper process” in the investigation.

Why was 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 Epstein

while he served as a trade envoy for the British government from 2001 to 2011.

What else is in the Epstein files?

The US 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 Epstein. Mr Mountbatten-Windsor has steadfastly denied that he sexually assaulted the woman, Ms Virginia Roberts Giuffre.

Doubts about his account of his relationship with Epstein – and details of his alleged sexual misconduct in a memoir by Ms Giuffre published posthumously in 2025 – made his position in the royal family untenable.

There was no mention in the police statement on Feb 19 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 the evening of Feb 19, 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 offence 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 offence says that it is committed when public officers “wilfully misconduct themselves” in a way that abuses the public’s trust, among other offences.

A conviction would hinge on both the legal definition of “public officer” and also “wilful”. The offence carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

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.

For an action to be wilful, someone had to have known it to be wrong or had “reckless indifference as to whether it is wrong or not”, guidance to prosecutors says.

How has the royal family reacted?

King Charles put out a statement on Feb 19, saying that the 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 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 his wife 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 in 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.

In February, he was evicted from his residence, the Royal Lodge in Windsor. He moved to a home personally owned by King Charles on the grounds of Sandringham, a royal residence. NYTIMES