Epstein Files: Who Is Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Arrested Over Alleged Misconduct?

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office as part of an investigation into his past dealings with convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The arrest marks an escalation in scrutiny surrounding the disgraced former royal’s long-standing association with the financier.

Thames Valley Police reportedly confirmed on Wednesday that a man in his 60s from Norfolk had been arrested and that searches were underway at properties in Berkshire and Norfolk.

“We have today (19/2) arrested a man in his 60s from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office and are carrying out searches at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk. The man remains in police custody at this time,” the force said in a statement, according to BBC. 

The arrest came on Mountbatten-Windsor’s 66th birthday.

According to The Guardian, police have been assessing claims that Mountbatten-Windsor may have shared sensitive or privileged information with Epstein while serving as the UK’s Special Representative for International Trade and Investment — a role he held until 2011.

Reports previously indicated that Epstein maintained contact with him even after the financier’s 2008 conviction in Florida for procuring a minor for prostitution. Emails disclosed in civil proceedings show Epstein suggesting adjustments to dinner plans at Buckingham Palace in September 2010, when Mountbatten-Windsor was preparing to travel to London.

Freshly released documents from Epstein-related files have intensified scrutiny. Among more than 20,000 pages of correspondence published this week is a July 2011 email in which Epstein appeared to confirm that Mountbatten-Windsor had been photographed with Virginia Giuffre.

“Yes she was on my plane and yes she had her picture taken with Andrew,” Epstein wrote to his publicist, Peggy Siegal.

The message appears to contradict Mountbatten-Windsor’s earlier public claims that he did not recall meeting Giuffre and his suggestion that a widely circulated photograph of him with his arm around her may have been doctored.

Giuffre, one of Epstein’s most prominent accusers, alleged that Mountbatten-Windsor had sex with her on three occasions when she was a teenager. He has consistently denied the allegations. 

The Mail on Sunday first publicly identified Giuffre in 2011 and published the photograph of her with Mountbatten-Windsor and Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence in the United States for sex trafficking.

Additional images released by the US Department of Justice in connection with Epstein’s estate appear to show Mountbatten-Windsor in compromising positions with an unidentified woman, though the context of the photographs remains unclear.

Removed From Royal Duties

Mountbatten-Windsor is the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, and the younger brother of King Charles III. Once a senior working royal, he withdrew from official duties in 2019 following public backlash over his association with Epstein.

In 2022, Buckingham Palace removed his military affiliations and royal patronages. In October 2025, King Charles III initiated a formal process to remove his remaining royal titles, including “Prince” and “Duke of York.” He is now officially known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

Despite losing his titles and public role, he remains eighth in line to the British throne, as altering the line of succession would require an Act of Parliament.

Mountbatten-Windsor was married to Sarah Ferguson from 1986 to 1996. The couple have two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.

The current police investigation focuses specifically on whether any misconduct occurred during his time as a public office holder. Authorities have not disclosed further details about the nature of the alleged information sharing.

The development represents the most serious legal jeopardy Mountbatten-Windsor has faced to date in connection with the Epstein scandal.