Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor found himself in custody on the day he turned 66 years old.
The younger brother of King Charles was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office after police were seen swarming his Sandringham home on Thursday.s
The ex-prince is now the first senior royal in modern history ever to be arrested.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office on his 66th birthday
Highlights
- Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
- Taken into custody on this birthday, the ex-prince became the first senior royal in modern history to be arrested.
- His links to the Jeffrey Epstein forced him to move out of his royal mansion.
- Virginia Giuffre, one of Jeffrey’s most vocal victims, claimed Andrew behaved as if “having s*x with [her] was his birthright.”
Image credits: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
On his 66th birthday, at least six unmarked Thames Valley Police cars and around eight plain-clothed officers showed up at the Wood Farm, his home on the Sandringham estate, on Thursday morning.
Reports said one of the cars arrived at Andrew’s five-bedroom farmhouse through the front drive while five others entered from the back entrance.
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About half an hour later, one unmarked police car left and was followed by another. A third vehicle, believed to contain Andrew’s security, also followed.
Investigators also reportedly raided his other royal residences in Berkshire and Norfolk.
The ex-Prince became the first senior royal in modern history to be arrested
Image credits: Karwai Tang/Getty Images
The police force previously said they were reviewing claims about Andrew allegedly sharing sensitive information with his billionaire pal and convicted offender Jeffrey Epstein when he was a UK trade envoy.
They also confirmed that they were separately conducting a probe into allegations of a woman being trafficked to the UK by Jeffrey to engage in a s**ual encounter with the former prince.
Andrew, who is the third child of the late Queen Elizabeth II, has repeatedly denied the allegations.
Image credits: Department of Justice
“As part of the investigation, we have today (19/2) arrested a man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office and are carrying out searches at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk,” the Thames Valley police said in a statement.
In the UK, it is standard procedure for law enforcement agencies to refrain from naming arrested people until they are formally charged with an offence.
“The man remains in police custody at this time,” the statement continued. “We will not be naming the arrested man, as per national guidance.”
Virginia Giuffre, one of Jeffrey’s most vocal victims, claimed Andrew behaved as if “having s*x with [her] was his birthright”
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Andrew was stripped of his royal titles last year in the wake of the Epstein scandal.
The former Duke of York was known as Prince Andrew for most of his life and was often hailed as Queen Elizabeth’s favorite son.
During his young military days, he was often labelled the “Playboy Prince” or “Randy Andy” by the British press over his reported conquests.
He served as UK trade envoy under former prime minister Tony Blair in the 2000s, but he was at the center of heated scandals over his relationship with controversial figures as well as his handling of finances.
Image credits: Department of Justice
Details about his links to Jeffrey came to light following the disgraced financier’s 2019 arrest.
Virginia Giuffre, one of Jeffrey’s most vocal victims, accused Andrew of s**xually ab*sing her when she was a teen.
She alleged that Jeffrey kept her as a “s*x slave” and forced her to be physical with Andrew in London, New York and on a private Caribbean island between 1999 and 2002.
The former prince was “particularly attentive to my feet, caressing my toes and licking my arches,” Virginia's memoir said
Image credits: Rasid Necati Aslim/Getty Images
Andrew “was friendly enough, but still entitled – as if he believed having s*x with me was his birthright,” Virginia wrote in her memoir Nobody's Girl, published about six months after she took her own life last year.
Virginia, who claimed Jeffrey gave her $15,000 for spending time with Andrew, claimed the former prince was “particularly attentive to my feet, caressing my toes and licking my arches.”
It is known that Andrew made an undisclosed payment to Virginia to settle a U.S. lawsuit in 2022.
Image credits: Department of Justice
After the US Department of Justice released troves of files from its probe into Jeffrey, more details about Andrew’s links to the billionaire came to light.
He was forced to move out of his royal mansion within the Windsor estate and shift to a more discreet residence inside his brother's Sandringham estate.
Netizens had plenty to say following the arrest, with one saying, “I’d stay clear of any tunnels if I was him.”
“Lets [sic] the purge begin,” one commented online, while another said, “All he wanted was a pair of handcuffs for he’s [sic] birthday.”
“Jail time? I doubt it,” said another.
If you or someone you know is struggling with self-harm or s**c*dal ideation, help is available: International Hotlines
“Arrested is not the same as convicted but it's a start,” one commented online
