LONDON (TIP): British police said late Thursday, February 19, 2026, that Britain’s former Duke of York, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (formerly, ‘Prince Andrew’) had “been released under investigation” after being arrested and held for hours on suspicion of misconduct while he was a trade envoy, reports AFP.
He was arrested and taken into custody early on Thursday morning, in a case related to Jeffrey Epstein, the deceased American child sex offender and financier. The extraordinary arrest of a member of the Royal family, which has not occurred in centuries, underlines the gravity and reach of the unfolding Epstein scandal, which has shaken both the family and the Keir Starmer government.
“We can also confirm that our searches in Norfolk have now concluded,” Thames Valley Police said in a short statement, in apparent reference to searches of his residence on King Charles III’s Sandringham estate in eastern England. It is understood that reported searches of Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor’s former home on the Windsor estate, west of London, remained ongoing.
Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor, the younger brother of Britain’s King Charles, who turned 66 on Thursday, was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office — in connection with passing on confidential official documents to Epstein, when he served as an unpaid trade envoy for the U.K. between 2001 and 2011. The revelations have emerged from the release of files running into millions of pages related to Epstein by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The alleged sharing of documents is just one of several ways in which Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor’s name has surfaced in connection with Epstein. In 2021, an American woman, Virginia Giuffre, said that Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell had allegedly trafficked her to Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor for sex when she was 17. Giuffre died by suicide in April 2025. In 2022, the former prince, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, reached an out-of-court settlement with her.
A photograph of a man who appeared to be Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor, kneeling on all fours over a fully clothed woman lying on the carpet, was among the images released on January 30, 2026, by the U.S. authorities. The tranche of documents also suggested a possible payment from Epstein to Peter Mandelson, former U.K. envoy to Washington, who resigned in November over his friendship with Epstein. The revelations also led to Mr. Mandelson’s resignation from the Labour Party earlier this month and calls for Mr. Starmer to step down.
The King called for a “full, fair and proper process” and offered his “wholehearted support and co-operation”, as per a statement released by Buckingham Palace.
“Let me state clearly: the law must take its course,” he said, adding it would not be appropriate to comment further at this point in time.
The family of Guiffre also reacted to the news via a statement. “At last, today our broken hearts have been lifted at the news that no one is above the law, not even royalty,” they said, thanking the Thames Vally Police and adding, “He was never a prince. For survivors everywhere, Virginia did this for you.”
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday called the arrest of the former prince “very sad”.
“I think it’s a shame. I think it’s very sad. I think it’s so bad for the royal family. It’s very, very sad,” Mr. Trump told reporters on Air Force One.
(With inputs from AFP)
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