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Former Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is the first senior member of the royal family to be arrested in modern history.
The police action to handcuff him came after the discovery of emails by the US Department of Justice, which appear to show that the former duke and brother of King Charles shared reports of official visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore during 2010-2011, writes The Guardian.
At that time, he served as the United Kingdom's special representative for international trade and investment, according to documents recently made public by the US government.
Sharing secret information with Epstein
British police said the arrest was part of an investigation into possible abuse of public office by the former prince. Jeffrey Epstein documents released by the US Department of Justice revealed that Andrew had shared various confidential documents with the paedophile financier, notably reports on his official visits to China, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Singapore when he was a government envoy for trade and industry between 2010 and 2011. On November 30, 2010, for example, Andrew forwarded Epstein research conducted by one of his associates, Amit Patel, five minutes after receiving it.
Another email, on Christmas Eve 2010, appears to have sent Epstein confidential information about investment opportunities in the reconstruction of Helmand province in Afghanistan.
The grave situation surrounding Andrew was made clear early this morning, when Prime Minister Keir Starmer stressed in an interview with the BBC that "no one is above the law" and that the former prince would, therefore, face justice like any other mortal.
A few minutes later, photographers stationed at Sandringham captured images of several dark cars arriving at the former prince's villa.
Shock for the royal family
It's an incredibly difficult time for the royal family. While Charles stripped his brother of all his titles last October and forced him to leave Windsor and move to Sandringham in January, the perception in the UK is that the Windsors have not acted with the necessary severity towards a relative accused several years ago of having sex with a minor, Virginia Giuffre, and of maintaining contact with Epstein even after he was found guilty of sexual assault and coercing a minor into prostitution.
How former Prince Andrew left the kingdom
BBC Interview (2019) : Following Epstein's arrest for child sex trafficking and suicide, in November 2019, then-Prince Andrew gave an interview to the BBC to explain his relationship with the financier. In the interview, he appeared cold, lacking empathy for the victims, and unable to justify his relationship with Epstein.
Resignation (2020): Following criticism, Andrew announces his retirement from royal duties with the Queen's approval. The FBI attempts to question him, but the prince refuses to officially cooperate.
Lawsuit and settlement (2022) : In August 2021, Virginia Giuffre sued the prince in New York for sexual assault. A few months later, Elizabeth II stripped her son of his military titles. In February 2022, Andrew reached an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre to avoid trial.
Epstein Files (2025): In October, following the massive release of the Epstein files by US authorities, the former prince is stripped of his roles and titles by King Charles III and subsequently banished from royal residences.
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