Former UK trade envoy Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was released under investigation Thursday evening after being detained on suspicion of misconduct in public office, a move that has prompted calls for accountability from US lawmakers and survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse. The arrest, which occurred on Mountbatten-Windsor’s 66th birthday, stems from disclosures of emails linking him to Epstein and his conduct while serving as a UK trade envoy.
The arrest has similarly drawn scrutiny to the whereabouts of Sarah Ferguson, Mountbatten-Windsor’s ex-wife. Reports indicate Ferguson, who was stripped of her royal titles following the fallout from the Epstein scandal, is currently in the United Arab Emirates. According to Hello! magazine, she is “lying low” in the UAE and was believed to be there at the time of her ex-husband’s arrest. Prior to traveling to the UAE, Ferguson reportedly spent several days with friends in the French Alps.
Princess Eugenie, Mountbatten-Windsor and Ferguson’s youngest daughter, is also reported to be in the region, attending an art fair in Doha, Qatar, as part of her function with Hauser and Wirth, an international art dealership. Their other daughter, Princess Beatrice, reportedly has a complex relationship with her father and did not see him last Christmas.
While police have released Mountbatten-Windsor under investigation, questions are being raised about whether Ferguson might also face questioning. A legal source, speaking to Page Six, suggested that police “may have a basis for questioning Sarah Ferguson” as a potential witness, given her correspondence with Epstein revealed in recently released files. The source emphasized that Ferguson was not a public official at the time of the emails but that investigators may seek to ascertain what she knew and whether she disclosed any relevant information.
Mountbatten-Windsor and Ferguson had been living together at the Royal Lodge in Windsor until his recent eviction. King Charles issued a statement following the arrest, affirming his support for a thorough investigation. “I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office,” the statement read. “What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities. In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and co-operation. Let me state clearly: the law must capture its course.”
Newly released emails, as reported by the Financial Times and Middle East Eye, reveal that Mountbatten-Windsor attempted to facilitate an introduction between Epstein and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, now the President of the United Arab Emirates, during an official state visit in 2010. In a November 2010 email to Epstein, Mountbatten-Windsor stated that the UAE’s then-foreign affairs minister believed Epstein was “great” and wished to introduce him to Sheikh Mohammed. Another email from Epstein suggested a potential joint vacation with the UAE minister. These communications occurred during a visit to the UAE that included the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.