Former Prince Andrew Arrested in UK Over Misconduct Allegation Linked to Epstein Files
New Delhi: Former Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the younger brother of King Charles III and once eighth in line to the British throne, was arrested on February 19 on suspicion of misconduct in public office, following allegations arising from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
A Reuters report says the arrest relates to an investigation launched by Thames Valley Police. In recent days, multiple searches were carried out at properties associated with him in Norfolk and Berkshire in the United Kingdom.
"Following a thorough assessment, we have now opened an investigation into this allegation of misconduct in public office," said Oliver Wright, Assistant Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police, NDTV reported from a police statement. The full statement has been released by the police, this morning, UK time.
He was arrested from the family's estate in Sandringham.
Police did not initially name the arrested man, only saying it was "a man in his sixties", but media reports confirmed it was Andrew, whose 66th birthday coincided with the day of his arrest. He previously denied any wrongdoing linked with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but has not responded to specific allegations arising out of the revelations in the millions of 'Epstein files'.
These files are police investigation records and other official documents of Epstein's communications, lying with the United States government, now being released under tremendous public pressure.
Many of the events recorded in these documents, and the high-profile figures named in them are yet to be released to the public, as the documents are heavily redacted. Yet the files have toppled reputations in Europe and elsewhere, despite inviting mixed responses from those named, from defensive denials to abject apologies and some resignations.
There have also been investigations launched, chiefly due to public outcry, including the one against Mountbatten-Windsor. Weeks ago, he left the palace, his titles and London and retreated to Sandringham.
The public outcry grew stronger due to photographs released as part of the 'Epstein files'.
But the official investigation against Mountbatten-Windsor is not about suspected moral failings or his personal behaviour. Details are still thin, but the investigation relates to suspicion that he shared confidential government documents with Epstein, who was also a wheeler-dealer and power broker who held sway over the world's powerful and wealthy, until he was found dead in a Manhattan jail in August 2019.
Those files showed Mountbatten-Windsor had forwarded Epstein reports in 2010 about Vietnam, Singapore and other places he had visited on official trips, Al Jazeera reports. It also reports that an anti-monarchy campaign group claims it reported the matter to police.
After news of the arrest, King Charles III said the family fully supports the investigation and added that "the law must take its course".
"In this, as I have said before, they [the police] have our full and wholehearted support and co-operation," Charles said in a statement.
The BBC reports UK Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy's remarks on Andrew's arrest: "As justice secretary – and as the prime minister has said – nobody in this country is above the law. And this is now a police investigation and that must happen in the usual way."
Lammy spoke in India to the BBC, where he is attending the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.
The Epstein files also contain Indian-linked names. They include emails showing Indian billionaire Anil Ambani in contact with Epstein about political access and India-US discussions, exchanges involving Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri from before he joined the Union Cabinet and multiple mentions of Indian-American author and wellness czar Deepak Chopra.
In Europe, Peter Mandelson, former UK ambassador to the US, resigned from the House of Lords after documents showed ties to Epstein, as did Miroslav Lajcák, a Slovak national security adviser and Mona Juul, a senior Norwegian diplomat.
The files were released after sustained legal and public pressure, including demands from Epstein's victims and their lawyers for greater transparency and that the public be told.
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