Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the younger brother of Britain’s King Charles III, was arrested on his 66th birthday after the former prince’s relationship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was revealed.
Mountbatten-Windsor became the first member of the British royal family to be arrested in modern history after police raided his Sandringham home in the early hours of the morning.
Following his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office, Charles expressed his “deep concern” and stressed that “the law must take appropriate action.”
Ms Mountbatten-Windsor spent more than 10 hours at a police station in Norfolk, near her new home, before being released “under investigation” late on Thursday night and photographed leaving the station. His detention marks the latest extraordinary development in a long-running controversy over his ties to Epstein, which has shredded his reputation and snowballed into the royal family’s biggest crisis since Princess Diana’s death in 1997.
Here’s what we know:
Why was Andrew arrested?
They have not said what led to Mr Andrew’s arrest, but have previously said they are assessing whether Mr Andrew shared confidential information with Mr Epstein during his 10 years as Britain’s trade envoy.
The royal, then the Duke of York, was forced to step down from his post in 2011 over his friendship with Epstein, who was convicted in 2008 of soliciting prostitution from a minor.
The former crown prince has denied all accusations against him, insisting he never witnessed or suspected any of the acts Epstein is accused of doing. He has not publicly commented on allegations of misconduct in office that surfaced after the Justice Department’s latest release.
The royal was arrested at his new home at his brother’s Sandringham estate in Norfolk, east England. Mr Mountbatten-Windsor only moved there earlier this month after the king evicted him from his royal estate in Windsor, Berkshire, west of London, following the release of the Epstein files by the previous Ministry of Justice.
Shortly after unmarked police cars and plainclothes officers arrived at Andrew’s Wood Farm, Sandringham, uniformed officers also raided the Royal Lodge in Windsor, which had been his home since 2003.
Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested in Sandringham, which is under Norfolk police, but was detained by Thames Valley police in Berkshire. Norfolk Police told CNN they are assisting Thames Valley Police with their investigation.
Thames Valley Police announced late Thursday that the search in Sandringham had ended, but the search in Windsor was likely to continue until Monday.
What scandals has he faced before?
After stepping down as trade envoy in 2011, Mountbatten-Windsor faced prolonged scrutiny over his relationship with Epstein. In 2019, he agreed to a lengthy sit-down interview with BBC Newsnight in which he responded to allegations of misconduct.
Mountbatten-Windsor, who was photographed with Epstein in New York’s Central Park in 2010, explained that she traveled to New York after his conviction to end his friendship with the disgraced financier. Asked why he stayed at Mr. Epstein’s residence for several days, the former prince said it was “convenient” and that he considered it “an honor and the right thing to do” to speak to Mr. Epstein directly.
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor also said he had “no recollection of ever meeting” Virginia Giuffre, who claimed the then prince forced her to have sex three times, including in 2015 when she was 17. He suggested that a photo of himself and Ms Giuffre at Ghislaine Maxwell’s house in 2001 may have been faked.
Giuffre sued Mountbatten-Windsor in a New York court in 2021, accusing her of sexual assault. Despite claiming never to have met her, the royal family reportedly paid Giuffre millions of dollars to settle the lawsuit in 2022 without admitting responsibility for any wrongdoing.
King Charles stripped his brother of his princely title in October following further allegations in a posthumously published memoir by Guiffre, who died by suicide in April 2025. The scandal escalated again in January when the Justice Department released a photograph that appeared to show Mr Mountbatten-Windsor kneeling over a woman or girl lying on the floor.
Mr Charles said he learned of Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest with “deep concern” and stressed that “the law must move in that direction”. CNN understands that the Prince and Princess of Wales supported Charles’ statement.
However, the monarch used this statement to distance himself from Andrew, being careful not to describe the former prince as his brother and trying to box in the rest of his family. “My family and I will continue our duty and service to you,” Charles wrote.
Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former Republican congresswoman from Georgia, pointed to the relative lack of accountability for those associated with Epstein in the United States. Jake Auchincloss, a Democratic congressman from Massachusetts, made a similar point, telling CNN, “Britain is holding its own country, which has power and privilege, accountable. The United States should do the same.”
President Donald Trump called Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest a “shame” but declined to discuss his ties to Epstein. “I think it’s unfortunate. I think it’s very sad. I think it’s very bad for the royal family,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One during a visit to Georgia.
Trump lamented how Mountbatten-Windsor’s plight will affect Charles, who is due to visit the United States this year, possibly in April.
“It’s very sad to see that and to see what’s happening to my brother. (The King) will definitely be coming to our country soon and he’s a great man, the King,” Trump said.
Virginia Giuffre’s family have expressed their “thank you” to Thames Valley Police.
The family said in a statement: “Our broken hearts are relieved today when we heard the news that no one is above the law, even members of the royal family.” “He was never a prince. For survivors all over the world, Virginia did this for you.”
Separately, Spencer T. Kubin, a lawyer for Epstein’s survivors, said Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest “may restore some confidence to those who believed justice was out of reach.”
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor is the first senior royal to be arrested since King Charles I, who led the Royalists to defeat at the hands of Parliamentarians in the English Civil War. Charles was taken into custody in 1647, tried and executed two years later.
Mountbatten-Windsor’s sister, Princess Anne, was fined but not arrested in 2002 after her dog attacked two children.
