Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, aka ex-Prince Andrew, the brother of King Charles III, was brought under arrest this morning, Feb. 19, at the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, England. He is accused of “misconduct in public office.” The misconduct apparently was not for sharing minors with Jeffrey Epstein but confidential material related to trade issues following the filing of a complaint. A police statement said authorities are carrying out searches at his addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk. Mountbatten-Windsor denies the allegations.
A statement by the Thames Valley Police reads, “As part of the investigation, we have today (19/2) 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. The man remains in police custody at this time. We will not be naming the arrested man, as per national guidance….” Media later today reported that Mountbatten-Windsor was released, while remaining “under investigation.”
Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright said: “Following a thorough assessment, we have now opened an investigation into this allegation of misconduct in public office. It is important that we protect the integrity and objectivity of our investigation as we work with our partners to investigate this alleged offence.”
This seems to be related to statements made on Wednesday, Feb. 18, that Members of Parliament may investigate Mountbatten-Windsor for his conduct while working as a trade envoy (2001-2011)for the U.K., according to a statement by the chairman of the cross-party Business and Trade Committee Liam Byrne, who also said that MPs are taking the allegations “acutely seriously.” According to the BBC, report files released by the U.S. Department of Justice appear to show that Mountbatten-Windsor forwarded sensitive government documents and commercial information to Epstein.
The files indicate that he gave Epstein reports on his visits to Vietnam, Singapore, and China, as well as information on investment opportunities in gold and uranium in Afghanistan.
It is said that King Charles III was not previously informed of the arrest. He later released a short statement, in part reading, “Let me state clearly: the law must take its course.” Mountbatten-Windsor also had his birthday today; he turned 66.
