Hours after his brother and former Prince Andrew was arrested, King Charles issued a statement and said that the “law must take its course” while assuring his “full and whole-hearted support” to the authorities.
The statement was issued from Buckingham Palace on Thursday, hours after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He was arrested on the eve of his 66th birthday.
Thames Valley Police have confirmed that Andrew has been arrested from King's Sandringham estate, where he has been exiled since leaving his Royal Lodge home. Police have also searched his home in Windsor.
Andrew is facing charges of sharing confidential information with the deceased sex offender and trafficker, Jeffrey Epstein, while he was a trade envoy for the UK.
King Charles, in his statement, said, “I have learnt with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Montbatten-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 appropriate authorities.”
The King said that the authorities have his wholehearted support and cooperation. “Let me state clearly law must take its course. As the process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter.”
Andrew is thought to be the first royal to be arrested in modern British history. The whereabouts of his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, remain unknown, but it is believed that she is not in the country presently.
Andrew's arrest came after the complaint by advocacy group Republic, which asserted that the emails between Andrew and Epstein establish that he had shared confidential documents with the latter.
At that time, Andrew was the UK's special representative for international trade and investment, a post he held between 2001 and 2011. The correspondence between Epstein and Andrew was released by the US Justice Department on Jan. 30 in the latest tranche of now-infamous Epstein Files.
ALSO READ: Ex-Prince Andrew's Arrest Reopens Checkered Past: Sexual Abuse Charge, Epstein Links, China Ties
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