Former prince Andrew ‘released under investigation’ 11 hours after arrest – National
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former prince who was stripped of his royal titles over his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was released from police custody on Thursday.
Andrew was arrested on Thursday, his 66th birthday, on suspicion of misconduct in public office for allegedly sending classified government documents to Epstein.
He left Aylsham Police Station after nearly 11 hours in custody, where he was questioned throughout the day by detectives from Thames Valley Police.
Thames Valley Police said a 60-year-old man from Norfolk in eastern England was arrested on Thursday. The force, which covers areas west of London, including Mountbatten-Windsor’s former home, did not identify the suspect – in line with standard procedures in Britain – but pointed to the statement when asked to confirm whether the former prince had been arrested.
In a subsequent statement, Thames Valley Police said “the man arrested has been released under investigation.”
Police said they had completed their search of Mountbatten-Windsor’s home, but police were still searching his former residence near Windsor Castle.
Get daily world news
Get the day’s top news, politics, economics, and current affairs, delivered to your inbox once a day.
A Reuters photo, taken after Mountbatten-Windsor’s release, shows him sitting on the floor of a car leaving a station near his Sandringham Estate home.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the younger brother of Britain’s King Charles, formerly known as Prince Andrew, leaves Aylsham police station by car on the day he was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
REUTERS/Phil Noble
Police previously said they were “investigating” reports that Mountbatten-Windsor sent business information to Epstein, a wealthy investor and convicted sex offender, in 2010, when the former prince was Britain’s special envoy for international trade. Communications between the two men were released by the US Department of Justice late last month, along with millions of pages of documents from the US investigation into Epstein.
While Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied any wrongdoing related to her friendship with Epstein, concerns about her connection to the late financier have dogged the royal family for more than a decade.
When Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested, Assistant Chief Const. Oliver Wright said: “Following a thorough investigation, we have now opened an investigation into these allegations of misconduct in public office.
“It is important that we protect the integrity and purpose of our investigation as we work with our partners to investigate this alleged crime,” he added.
“We understand the importance of the public interest in this case, and we will provide updates in due course.”
Hours after Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest, his brother King Charles III issued a statement, saying, “I have read with great concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and the allegations of misconduct in public office.”
“What follows now is a full, fair and proper process in which this matter is investigated properly and by the proper authorities,” Charles said in a statement on Thursday.
“In this case, as I have said before, we are fully and wholeheartedly supporting and cooperating. “As this process continues, it would not be appropriate for me to comment further on this matter.”
“For now, my family and I will continue our work and service to all of you.”
Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest was the first time in nearly four hundred years that a senior British official has been imprisoned, and it underscored how much respect for the monarchy has been eroded in recent years.
The allegations being investigated on Thursday are different from those made by Virginia Giuffre, who said she was trafficked to Britain to have sex with the prince in 2001, aged just 17. Giuffre died by suicide last year.
Nevertheless, Giuffre’s family has praised the arrest, saying “their sad hearts have been lifted to hear that no one is above the law, not even royalty.”
The family added: “He never became a prince. For survivors everywhere, Virginia did this for you.”
– Via files from the Associated Press
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
