Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, was arrested by the British Police on Thursday over suspicions of misconduct in public office. This comes after multiple accusations that the younger brother of King Charles III shared confidential information with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein while serving as a British trade envoy.
Without naming the suspect, as is normal under British law, the Thames Valley Police said in a statement that they have "arrested a man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office and are carrying out searches at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk".
Andrew was arrested on his 66th birthday. He was staying at the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, United Kingdom.
Who is Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor?
Born at Buckingham Palace on Feb. 19, 1960, Andrew is the second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. He got married to Sarah Ferguson on Jul. 23, 1986, and welcomed two children, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, with her. They later got divorced.
Andrew, whose links to Epstein have been known for years, served as a UK trade envoy from 2001 to 2011. The then Duke of York travelled around the world and enjoyed privileged access to senior government and business contacts, according to a BBC report.
Andrew was reportedly introduced to Epstein for the first time in 1999. The two of them met through a mutual friend, Ghislaine Maxwell, daughter of the late media tycoon Robert Maxwell. During Maxwell's trial in 2021 for sex trafficking, a photograph showed her and Epstein at the Queen's Balmoral residence that year.
In 2000, Epstein, Maxwell and Andrew were spotted at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. A few months later, Epstein and Maxwell attended a joint birthday party at Windsor Castle hosted by the Queen.
Amid Andrew's well-documented links with Epstein, King Charles stripped his younger brother last year of his royal titles, including "Prince" and "His Royal Highness."
Recently, three million more documents related to Epstein were released by the US Department of Justice. This included email exchanges, over 2,000 videos and 180,000 images, according to Sky News.
The latest tranche of documents indicated that Andrew's ongoing communications with Epstein long after he earlier claimed to have severed ties with him. Thames Valley Police stated that they were looking into the claim that a woman was sent by Epstein to Andrew at the Royal Lodge in 2010, as well as other claims of Andrew sharing confidential documents with the disgraced financier while serving as UK trade envoy.
A few photographs in the case appeared to show Andrew on the floor with a woman.
Links To Virginia Giuffre
Giuffre, who died by suicide in April last year, was one of Epstein's victims. She earlier claimed that he had trafficked her around 2001 to Andrew, who had sex with her multiple times.
As per The Guardian, Giuffre claimed that Andrew sexually assaulted her at Maxwell's home in London's Belgravia as well as on two other occasions at Epstein's New York home and on his private island in the Caribbean. At that time, she was 17.
Andrew has repeatedly denied all the accusations and even questioned the authenticity of the image that showed him with his arm around Giuffre. However, an email from Maxwell to Epstein has appeared to confirm the circumstances of the image. The email, dated Jan. 10, 2015, includes a "draft statement", in which Maxwell defends herself against allegations of abuse by an unidentified woman.
In 2022, Andrew paid Giuffre an undisclosed amount to settle the lawsuit in a New York court, wherein she claimed that he raped and sexually abused her at the age of 17.
What King Charles Said?
After Andrew's arrest, King Charles, in a statement, said, "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." He further assured "full and wholehearted support and cooperation" on the matter.
"Let me state clearly: the law must take its course. As this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter. Meanwhile, my family and I will continue in our duty and service to you all," BBC quoted him as saying.
ALSO READ: Ex-Prince Andrew's Arrest Reopens Checkered Past: Sexual Abuse Charge, Epstein Links, China Ties
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