LONDON (AP) – Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office on Thursday, following a wave of revelations concerning his association with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The former prince has been embroiled in allegations for years regarding his ties to Epstein, particularly after the release of over 3 million pages of documents related to Epstein from the U.S. Justice Department.
Mountbatten-Windsor, 66, has continually denied any wrongdoing linked to his friendship with Epstein. His downfall from grace as the younger brother of King Charles III can be traced through several key events:
In 2011, Andrew was compelled to resign from his position as Britain’s special trade envoy amid early reports of his connections to Epstein, who had been convicted and imprisoned three years prior for sex offenses involving a minor. The year 2019 marked a turning point when Epstein was arrested again on charges of sex trafficking and later died by suicide in a New York jail. This incident reignited public scrutiny of allegations claiming that Andrew had sexual encounters with at least one underage girl trafficked by Epstein, which he fervently denies.
On November 16, 2019, Andrew attempted to mitigate the growing criticism by participating in a high-profile television interview with BBC reporter Emily Maitlis. However, the interview backfired as he failed to sufficiently show empathy for Epstein's victims and provided explanations of his behavior that were widely perceived as implausible. During the interview, Andrew claimed he had severed ties with Epstein in December 2010, a claim that would later come under scrutiny.
By November 20, 2020, Buckingham Palace announced that Andrew would suspend all royal duties "for the foreseeable future," and days later, he was stripped of his patronage of 230 charities. The situation escalated in 2022 when Andrew reached a settlement in a New York civil lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre, who alleged that she was forced to have sex with him at the age of 17. Although Andrew did not admit to any of Giuffre's claims, he acknowledged her suffering as a victim of sexual abuse. Legal experts estimated that the settlement could have cost him up to $10 million, and the source of these funds remained unclear.
Tragic developments continued as Virginia Giuffre died by suicide in Australia on April 25, 2025. Following this, revelations about Andrew's continued contact with Epstein came to light. British newspapers reported on October 12, 2025, that Andrew had sent an email to Epstein on February 28, 2011, which contradicted his earlier claims of having cut off all communication with Epstein. This correspondence included statements that they were "in this together" and needed to "rise above it."
As a consequence of these ongoing controversies, on October 17, 2025, Andrew announced he was relinquishing his royal titles, including that of Duke of York, stating that the accusations against him were distracting from the royal family's work. Just days later, Giuffre's posthumous book detailed how she first met Andrew in March 2001 and recounted being forced to have sex with him on multiple occasions.
On October 30, 2025, King Charles III stripped Andrew of his remaining titles and honors, marking the end of his royal status; he would henceforth be known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Charles also requested that Andrew vacate Royal Lodge, his residence near Windsor Castle, where he had lived for over 20 years. Consequently, he relocated to the Sandringham Estate, a more modest setting.
The situation took a dramatic turn when, on January 30, 2026, the U.S. Justice Department published files related to Epstein, revealing further troubling details about Andrew's connection with Epstein. Among these disclosures was a photograph reportedly depicting Mountbatten-Windsor in a compromising position with a woman in Epstein's New York apartment. Additionally, accusations arose that Andrew supplied Epstein with confidential information related to a 2010 trade tour he undertook. This led to his eventual arrest.
On February 9, 2026, the King expressed his readiness to support the police in their investigation of allegations against Andrew, specifically regarding the potential sharing of confidential information with Epstein. Following this, Andrew was arrested on February 19, 2026, as Thames Valley Police began evaluating claims that he had sent trade reports to Epstein in 2010. The ongoing saga continues to unfold, raising significant questions about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's past conduct and affiliations.
