British authorities carried out searches at addresses linked to the former prince of the British monarchy Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor this Friday morning, the 20th, one day after his arrest as part of an investigation related to the Epstein case.
According to the public broadcaster BBCThames Valley Police vehicles were seen at Royal Lodge, a royal residence in Windsor maintained by the Crown, where Andrew lived until the beginning of the month. He had to leave the property after being stripped of his royal title amid the repercussions of his relationship with financier Jeffrey Epstein, convicted of sexual exploitation of minors.
A BBC reported that the vehicles were unmarked, but that at least two of them were driven by uniformed police officers.
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Thames Valley Police said in a statement on Thursday the 19th that they had arrested “a man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office”. Contacted by the BBC this Friday, the corporation said that there was no additional statement to make about the searches.
Searches began at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk counties on Thursday, including Sandringham House, where Andrew currently lives. According to authorities, work in Norfolk has already been completed.
Andrew is investigated by Thames Valley Police following a tip-off about allegedly sharing confidential material with Epstein.
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Documents released by the US Department of Justice show that in 2010, the former prince sent emails to Epstein about business opportunities. At the time, Andrew held the role of UK Special Representative for International Trade. The case is also investigated by the Crown Prosecution Service, a body equivalent to the Public Prosecutor’s Office in the country.
After the arrest, King Charles III, Andrew’s older brother, said in a statement sent to BBCwho received the recent news with “deep concern”.
“What now follows is the full, fair and adequate process by which this matter will be investigated appropriately and by the competent authorities,” the king wrote. “Let me be very clear: the law must take its course.”
The former prince spent a few hours in detention before being released under investigation. He was caught by BBC as he left a police station in Norfolk, in the back seat of a car. Queen Elizabeth II’s former press secretary, Ailsa Anderson, told the broadcaster that Andrew appeared “stunned”, “in shock” and “was crestfallen”.
In addition to this investigation, Andrew has already been accused of sexual assault against minors. Lawyer Virginia Giuffre, one of the main prosecution witnesses in the Epstein case, claimed to have had sexual relations with the former prince on three occasions, one of them at the financier’s mansion in New York, when he was still a teenager.
Andrew has always denied the allegations, but reached a plea deal with Virginia in 2022, which prevented the case from going to a jury trial. Last year, after the release of Virginia’s posthumous memoir titled “Nobody’s Girl”, pressure on the former prince increased and he renounced his royal title.
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