André Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office
André Mountbatten-Windsor, brother of King Charles III, was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, . The former prince’s arrest comes as he celebrates his 66th birthday and after Thames Valley Police said they were considering a complaint about the alleged sharing of confidential material with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In a statement, cited by the BBC, police say that “a man in his sixties from Norfolk has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office and we are carrying out searches at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk”.
“The man remains in police custody at this time. In line with national guidelines, we will not be naming the detained man,” the note reads.
According to the statement, Chief Constable Oliver Wright adds that an inquiry has been opened “following an exhaustive assessment” and that “it is important that we protect the integrity and objectivity of our investigation as we work with our partners to investigate this alleged offence.”
“We understand the great public interest in this case and will provide updated information at the appropriate time,” the statement said.
suspected of having shared, in 2010 and 2011, confidential information from his work as a UK trade envoy with US financier and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, according to documents released in the United States.
Based on these documents, the “BBC” reported that a series of emails show that André, stripped of his titles by King Charles III last October due to his ties to the tycoon, sent Epstein details of his official trips to Singapore, Vietnam, Shenzhen and Hong Kong, as well as reports on these visits drawn up by his assistant, Amit Patel, shortly after receiving them.
André also sent the businessman, who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking of minors, information about investment opportunities in Afghanistan, which would be supervised by British forces and financed by the United Kingdom Government.
The former Duke of York, who served as his country’s commercial envoy between 2001 and 2011, did not respond to the broadcaster’s attempts to contact him, although he has already denied other accusations regarding his connection with the millionaire.
The BBC reports that one of the messages about his official activities is dated around Christmas 2010, although Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, as he is known today, stated in a 2019 interview that he had severed all ties with Epstein in early December of that year.
In another email, dated February 9, 2011, Queen Elizabeth II’s second son suggested that his friend invest in a private equity firm he had recently visited, according to the public broadcaster.
These revelations increase pressure on the former prince, who has already been accused of having sexual relations with women facilitated by Epstein. Emails released on Sunday also indicated that in September 2010 he invited the American pedophile and a Romanian woman described as “very beautiful” to a private dinner at Buckingham Palace.
In recent months, photos of André with several young women have also come to light.
The images of Prince Andrew that appear in the Epstein case files (AP)
The former duke stepped away from public life in 2019 due to social pressure over his friendship with Epstein, which intensified when, in 2025, the American Virginia Giuffre published a memoir detailing how the then prince abused her on at least three occasions when she was a minor.
The king’s brother, who denies the accusations, reached a million-dollar settlement in 2022 with Virginia Giuffre – who committed suicide last April, aged 41 – in exchange for withdrawing the civil case. In addition to stripping him of his titles, Charles III ordered him to move last Monday from his mansion at Windsor Castle, on the outskirts of London, to a residence on the sovereign’s private estate in Sandringham, in eastern England.
