Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor released 11 hours after arrest as Keir Starmer declares: ‘Nobody is above the law’
LYDIA LYNCH - 20 February 2026
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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s fall from grace plumbed dramatic new lows after he was arrested at his new home on suspicion of misconduct in public office, in the largest scandal to engulf the royal family in modern times.
He was released about 11 hours later without charge as an investigation continued.
King Charles’s brother, who once swanned around the world in private jets, staying at luxury hotels and palaces, spent his 66th birthday on Thursday in police custody.
UK police have been investigating allegations Andrew sent confidential reports to pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein while he was Britain’s international trade envoy, a role Andrew held from 2001 to 2011.
A convoy of police cars descended on the Sandringham estate just after 8am on Thursday (7pm AEDT), to take Andrew, who has moved to Wood Farm on the estate, into custody and begin a search of his addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk.
Andrew is believed to have been living at the Norfolk estate after he was evicted from the 30-room mansion of Royal Lodge in Windsor in October after Charles stripped him of his titles.
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor later left police custody after his arrest and has been seen in the back seat of a vehicle.
His release as a person “under investigation” – meaning apparently no charge has been laid – came about 11 hours after his arrest on suspicion of misconduct, while he was a trade envoy.
He left Aylsham Police Station in Norfolk in a vehicle, lying back in the seat as if to avoid the cameras. A large garage door in the Aylsham police investigation centre opened and two cars could be seen, including a black Range Rover.
It drove past the waiting reporters. A photographer was able to take a picture of Andrew trying to lie down on the back seat.
Prior to news of Andrew’s arrest, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer had told the BBC that the former prince should speak with authorities in the UK and US about Epstein.
“One of the core principles in our system is that everybody is equal under the law, and nobody is above the law, and it is really important that it is applied across the board,” Sir Keir said.
“That is the principle. It’s a longstanding principle, it’s a very important principle of our country, our society, and it applies, and it has to apply in this case, in the same way as it would apply in any other case.”
The police force says the former prince has been released under investigation after his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
The police force’s statement in full: “Thames Valley Police is able to provide an update in relation to an investigation into the offence of misconduct in public office.
“On Thursday we arrested a man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The arrested man has now been released under investigation. We can also confirm that our searches in Norfolk have now concluded.”
British police usually hold suspects only for a day or so before having to charge them formally with a crime or let them go pending further investigation.
Police said earlier they were carrying out searches at addresses in Berkshire, which is home to Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s former residence, and Norfolk, where he is currently living in a cottage on an estate owned by the king.
Police previously said they were “assessing” reports that Mr Mountbatten-Windsor sent trade information to the late Epstein, a wealthy investor and convicted sex offender, in 2010, when the former prince was Britain’s special envoy for international trade.
Correspondence between the two men was released by the US Justice Department late last month along with millions of pages of documents from the American investigation into Epstein.
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to his dealings with Epstein, but didn’t respond to requests for comment.
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