The arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor—the younger brother of King Charles and eighth in line to the British throne—on suspicion of misconduct in public office was unprecedented yet unsurprising. Never has a member of the modern royal family been apprehended by the police. However, the Epstein files had revealed that Andrew, in his capacity as UK trade envoy, had been forwarding sensitive information and confidential documents to the American financier, notorious paedophile and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, his long-time friend and business associate.
Whether these contained national secrets is to be determined, but police are now searching properties associated with Andrew. However, the former prince has been accused of improper interactions with underage girls sex-trafficked by Epstein, allegations he denies.
A statement from Thames Valley police said: “As part of the investigation, we have today 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.”
While Andrew was eventually released after being questioned by police for nearly an entire day, the arrest of such a prominent member of the British royal family represents the biggest crisis the country’s monarchy has faced in decades.
Not since the Abdication Crisis in the 1930s, when the then King Edward VIII stood down because of his relationship with divorcee Wallis Simpson, has the British monarchy experienced a crisis that threatens its very foundations.
Even before British police officers launched a raid on the Norfolk home where Andrew currently resides, he was already the focus of a major controversy over his links to Epstein.
The recent release of millions of documents relating to Epstein’s various business and personal affairs had already shed an unwelcome light on the relationship Andrew enjoyed with Epstein, which continued long after Epstein’s imprisonment on prostitution charges.
This deepening scandal in Britain over the revelations had already resulted in Andrew being stripped of his royal titles—including the right to be known as prince—and his removal from his family home on the royal family’s Windsor estate to a more modest home in Norfolk.
But following more revelations relating to his business dealings during a period when the then Prince Andres served as an official UK trade envoy, the police decided to act over allegations that he had abused his office.
