Overview
- Thames Valley Police arrested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on Feb. 19 on suspicion of misconduct in public office, held him for about 11 hours, and released him under investigation.
- The inquiry follows U.S. Justice Department documents that appear to show he forwarded confidential trade material in 2010 while serving as the U.K.’s trade envoy; he has denied wrongdoing.
- Searches at his Sandringham home in Norfolk have concluded, and police say searches at Royal Lodge in Windsor are ongoing.
- The Crown Prosecution Service will advise on whether evidence meets the test for charging, and the common-law offense carries a maximum life sentence though it is legally complex to prove.
- King Charles III said the law must take its course, and the arrest marks the first time in nearly four centuries that a senior British royal has been detained as multiple U.K. forces coordinate reviews of the Epstein files.