Former royal Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office, Thames Valley Police confirmed, marking the latest escalation in a years-long controversy stemming from his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The arrest, which occurred on Mountbatten-Windsor’s 66th birthday, follows allegations he shared confidential reports with Epstein, according to a statement from the police. Searches are being conducted at addresses in Berkshire, where his former home, Royal Lodge, is located, and Norfolk, where he currently resides at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate.
Mountbatten-Windsor’s relationship with Epstein dates back to the 1990s. He previously stated he first met Epstein through “his girlfriend back in 1999,” according to a BBC Newsnight interview. The connection drew intense scrutiny after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor, leading to Mountbatten-Windsor stepping down from his role as the UK’s trade envoy in 2011.
Further allegations surfaced in 2015 when Virginia Giuffre, a prominent accuser of Epstein, alleged she was forced to have sexual encounters with Mountbatten-Windsor on three occasions, including when she was 17. Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied these claims, and at one point suggested a photograph depicting him with Giuffre and Ghislaine Maxwell may have been fabricated.
The situation reached a critical point in 2019 when Mountbatten-Windsor gave a widely criticized interview to BBC Newsnight, stating he traveled to New York in 2010 to conclude his friendship with Epstein. He described staying at Epstein’s mansion as “a convenient place to stay” and maintained he had “no recollection of ever meeting” Giuffre. His explanation that his judgment may have been colored by a “tendency to be too honorable” was widely mocked.
In 2021, Giuffre filed a civil lawsuit against Mountbatten-Windsor in a New York court, accusing him of sexual assault. The case was settled in 2022 with a reported multi-million dollar payment from Mountbatten-Windsor to Giuffre, though he did not admit any wrongdoing. Giuffre died by suicide in April 2025.
The release of millions of pages of documents related to Epstein’s case in January 2026, including emails showing Mountbatten-Windsor invited Epstein to Buckingham Palace after the financier’s release from house arrest, prompted renewed public and legal pressure. One email exchange from September 2010 detailed a suggestion from Epstein to meet at Buckingham Palace, with Mountbatten-Windsor responding he would be available “free from 1600ish to 2000.” Another email thread revealed Epstein offering to introduce Mountbatten-Windsor to a 26-year-old Russian woman.
Following the escalating controversy, King Charles III stripped his younger brother of his prince title in October 2025, and began the process of evicting him from the royal estate at Windsor. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
Thames Valley Police has not released further details regarding the specific nature of the alleged misconduct in public office, nor has Mountbatten-Windsor issued a statement following his arrest. The investigation remains ongoing.
