British Police Arrest Prince Andrew in Connection with Epstein Case
British police arrested former Prince Andrew on Thursday (19 February) local time. Andrew, the younger brother of King Charles III, was detained at his residence in the Norfolk area of eastern England.
In a statement reported by the BBC and AFP on Thursday (19/2/2026), British police said the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, as he is now known, was carried out in connection with misconduct in public office during his time as a British trade envoy.
“As part of an investigation, today (19/2) we have arrested a man in his 60s from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office,” Thames Valley Police said in a statement, without naming the suspect.
“The man is currently in police custody,” Thames Valley Police stated. “We will not be naming the man who has been arrested, in line with national guidelines,” the police statement added.
In addition to making the arrest, police also conducted a number of searches connected to Andrew.
“Searches are being carried out at a number of addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk,” Thames Valley Police said in its statement.
The arrest was made after it was previously reported that British police were investigating allegations that Andrew, who has been stripped of his royal titles, had shared classified British documents with American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, whose case sent shockwaves around the world.
Police said at the time that the alleged conduct took place whilst Andrew was serving as a British trade envoy.
The allegations emerged after the US Department of Justice released a new batch of Epstein documents on 30 January.
One email correspondence dated 30 November 2010 appeared to show that Andrew forwarded to Epstein what was described as a “visit report for Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shenzhen” relating to his official visit to Southeast Asia.
A separate email on Christmas Eve 2010 appeared to show Andrew sharing with Epstein what was described as a classified briefing on investment opportunities connected to the reconstruction of Helmand Province in Afghanistan.
Andrew has consistently denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.
Buckingham Palace, in a statement last week, said that King Charles III, Andrew’s elder brother, had expressed deep concern over the allegations that had emerged against his sibling.
Buckingham Palace added in its statement that the responsibility for responding to the specific allegations rested with Mountbatten-Windsor himself. However, the Palace indicated it would cooperate with any police investigation.