Police search royal mansion as probe into king’s brother continues; Andrew released

SANDRINGHAM, England: British police on Friday searched the former mansion of King Charles’ younger brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, as investigations continued into allegations of misconduct in public office.

Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on Thursday — his 66th birthday — on suspicion of sending confidential British government documents to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein during his time as a trade envoy.

The former prince was held for more than 10 hours before being released under investigation. He has not been formally charged. A Reuters photograph taken after his release showed him slumped in the back of a vehicle, appearing visibly shaken. The image was carried on the front pages of newspapers in Britain and abroad.

British newspapers prominently featured the arrest, with several running headlines quoting King Charles’ statement that “the law must take its course.” International media outlets, including those in Australia — where the king is head of state — as well as in Europe and the United States, also gave extensive coverage to the development.

King says law must take its course

Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. However, previously released US government documents suggested he remained in contact with Epstein even after the financier’s 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor.

According to the documents, Mountbatten-Windsor allegedly forwarded British government reports to Epstein concerning investment opportunities in Afghanistan and assessments relating to Vietnam, Singapore and other countries he visited in his role as the UK’s Special Representative for Trade and Investment.

The arrest of a senior royal — eighth in line to the throne — is unprecedented in modern British history. The last time a member of the royal family was arrested in Britain was in 1649, when Charles I of England was tried and executed.

King Charles III, who last year stripped his brother of his princely title and removed him from his Windsor residence, said he learned of the arrest with “deepest concern.”

“Let me state clearly: the law must take its course,” the king said in a statement, adding that the matter would be handled through a “full, fair and proper process” by the relevant authorities.

Police searches ongoing

Earlier on Thursday, six unmarked police vehicles and around eight plain-clothed officers arrived at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, where Mountbatten-Windsor currently resides.

Officers from Thames Valley Police also searched his former mansion on the Windsor estate, west of London.

Police said late Thursday that while searches at Sandringham had concluded, searches in Windsor were continuing.

Authorities clarified that an arrest indicates reasonable suspicion of an offence but does not imply guilt. Misconduct in public office carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and is tried in a Crown Court, which handles the most serious criminal cases.

Thames Valley Police Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright said a full investigation had been launched. Any inquiry is expected to take months, as investigators may need to coordinate with government departments, embassies abroad and Buckingham Palace to determine what records remain.

Separately, anti-monarchy campaign group Republic has reported Mountbatten-Windsor over allegations of involvement in the trafficking of a woman to Britain in 2010. Police said they are assessing claims that a woman was brought to an address in Windsor where he had lived until recently.

In 2022, Mountbatten-Windsor settled a civil lawsuit in the United States filed by the late Virginia Giuffre, who had accused him of sexually abusing her as a teenager at properties linked to Epstein. He has denied meeting Giuffre.