LONDON—British police arrested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former Prince Andrew, on suspicion of misconduct in public office, as revelations linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein roil the U.K.’s politics and royal family.
King Charles III said Thursday that he had learned of the news regarding his younger brother with “deepest concern” but that the royal family supported a full investigation. He added: “Let me state clearly: the law must take its course.”
Thames Valley Police said they had arrested a man in his 60s and were carrying out searches at addresses in Berkshire, which is home to Windsor Castle, and Norfolk, where Andrew is currently living in a cottage on a royal estate.
Police in the U.K. don’t normally name suspects when they are arrested. Most suspects aren’t held in custody for long before they are either formally charged or released pending further investigation. Misconduct in public office carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The arrest raises the prospect of a criminal trial and marks the first time that a royal has been taken into custody in modern history.
Police didn’t give any further details on the arrest. Disclosures about Mountbatten-Windsor’s dealings with Epstein have dominated headlines in Britain, with the former duke stripped of his titles and moved out of his royal residence in Windsor.
Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to his dealings with Epstein.
The arrest on Thursday—Mountbatten-Windsor’s 66th birthday—deepens a spectacular fall from grace for the third child of the late Queen Elizabeth II following years of scandal and sex-abuse allegations.
A vehicle outside Royal Lodge, a property on the estate surrounding Windsor Castle and a former residence of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, younger brother of Britain’s King Charles, formerly known as Prince Andrew, who was arrested this morning on suspicion of misconduct in public office, after the U.S. Justice Department released more records tied to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, in Windsor, Britain, February 19, 2026. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Mountbatten-Windsor reached a settlement with one of Epstein’s victims, Virginia Giuffre, in 2022 over allegations the then-prince abused her on several occasions in the early 2000s when she was a teenager. Although the terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed, it was reported to be a multimillion-dollar settlement.
The recent disclosure by the U.S. Department of Justice of millions of documents and emails linked to the Epstein case shed new light on the extent of the relationship between the convicted sex offender and the former prince, who is eighth in line to the British throne.
The arrest is not linked to allegations of sexual misconduct, but to Mountbatten-Windsor’s role as trade envoy for the British government. The emails suggested that, as trade envoy, he on several occasions emailed confidential government reports to Epstein. Mountbatten-Windsor quit that role in 2011. Police said last week they were looking into the reports that he may have run afoul of laws governing conduct in a public office.
Mountbatten-Windsor hasn’t commented publicly on the emails. He has consistently denied wrongdoing in the past.
“Following a thorough assessment, we have now opened an investigation into this allegation of misconduct in public office,” Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright of Thames Valley Police said Thursday. “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 significant public interest in this case, and we will provide updates at the appropriate time.”
The emails also disclosed several occasions when Epstein arranged for young women to meet up with the former prince, including at Buckingham Palace. The emails showed the pair kept in touch through a close business associate of Epstein’s until a year before Epstein was found dead in his jail cell in 2019. Mountbatten-Windsor had in the past said he cut off all contact with the disgraced financier in late 2010.
It isn’t clear that a trial will proceed. Lawyers said that proving misconduct in office is difficult. “The offence is notoriously hard to prosecute, due to the number of different elements the prosecution are required to prove and the narrow definitions therein, applied by the courts,” said Andrew Gilmore, a partner at Grosvenor Law.
The latest disclosures threaten to tarnish the image of the family and Britain’s relationship with its monarchy.
Charles has been heckled in the street at recent public events, while Buckingham Palace has said the king has “profound concern” about the allegations against his brother.
The scandal has also reverberated through British politics and looms over Prime Minister Keir Starmer .
Police have said they are also investigating Peter Mandelson , the former U.K. ambassador to the U.S., for alleged misconduct in public office after the tranche of emails also suggested he had forwarded market-sensitive information to Epstein while Mandelson was in the British cabinet. Mandelson has quit the House of Lords and was removed from his job last year in relation to the scandal.
Starmer has come under pressure for having appointed Mandelson despite knowing about his links to Epstein. The prime minister has said Mandelson lied to him about the depth of those links. Mandelson has denied wrongdoing but has apologized to the victims of Epstein. Before Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest, Starmer—a former human-rights lawyer—said it was important that no one was above the law in Britain.
Several other British police forces have said they are assessing whether to launch investigations relating to the Epstein files. The Essex and Bedfordshire constabularies are looking at private flights in and out of London Stansted and London Luton international airports, while London’s Metropolitan Police has said it was making “initial enquiries” into allegations involving royal protection officers assigned to Mountbatten-Windsor.
Write to David Luhnow at david.luhnow@wsj.com and Gareth Vipers at gareth.vipers@wsj.com
Corrections & Amplifications undefined Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is the third child of the late Queen Elizabeth II. An earlier version of this article incorrectly said he was the third son. (Corrected on Feb. 19)
