British police launched a search of a mansion recently occupied by Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on Friday. This development comes just a day after the former prince was dramatically arrested in connection with his ties to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Mountbatten-Windsor underwent extensive questioning late Thursday at a police station in Norfolk, facing serious allegations of misconduct in his public duties.
Images of a visibly stunned Mountbatten-Windsor departing the police station in a vehicle dominated Friday’s British headlines. His arrest has undeniably thrust the monarchy into one of its most severe crises in many decades.
Turning 66 on Thursday, Mountbatten-Windsor was previously known as Prince Andrew and is a younger sibling to King Charles III.
This arrest follows the release of millions of documents by the United States Department of Justice last month, all pertaining to Jeffrey Epstein. Speculation suggests Mountbatten-Windsor might have provided confidential government intelligence to Epstein during his tenure as a British trade envoy from 2001 to 2011.
While Mountbatten-Windsor has not yet been formally charged, British police refrained from addressing the sexual abuse claims leveled against him by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who tragically passed away by suicide last year. Similarly, the ongoing trafficking allegations against Epstein at the time of his death in a Manhattan jail in 2019 were also not mentioned.
Having remained publicly silent and unresponsive to comment requests for months, Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently maintained his innocence.
The arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor sent shockwaves across Britain and became a global headline, reflecting the gravity of the unfolding events.
The extensive police search on Friday focused on Royal Lodge, a sprawling 30-room mansion near Windsor Castle, which the former prince inhabited until his recent relocation to a more modest royal estate in Sandringham, Norfolk.
Given Mountbatten-Windsor’s former use of an office within Buckingham Palace during his time as a trade envoy, there’s a possibility that this location could also be subject to police investigation.
British police have kept details of the ongoing investigation under wraps. The charge of misconduct in public office, which carries a theoretical maximum sentence of life imprisonment, applies when an individual in a public role deliberately fails to uphold their duty or abuses public trust.
As other royals continue their scheduled public appearances, the serious allegations surrounding Mountbatten-Windsor have cast an unprecedented shadow over the monarchy, which has faced numerous challenges throughout the past century.
Remarkably, this marks the first time since the 17th century that a senior member of the royal family has been arrested in connection with a serious criminal offense.
Following the arrest, King Charles released a public statement vowing complete cooperation with the investigation and emphasizing that justice must be allowed to run its course.
On Thursday, Sky Roberts, Virginia Giuffre’s brother, commended the British authorities, highlighting their decisive actions in stark contrast to what he perceives as a lack of action in the United States.
In a BBC interview, he stated, “I will continue to commend the King for his decisive actions; we are still waiting to see similar steps from our own government here.”
Amanda Roberts, Ms. Giuffre’s sister-in-law, further expressed hope in that interview: “We are hopeful that this investigation will now pave the way for a more thorough examination of the sexual assault allegations.”
Police officers were seen at the entrance of Royal Lodge on Friday, a property on the Windsor Castle estate that was formerly Mountbatten-Windsor’s residence.
In 2022, Mountbatten-Windsor reached an out-of-court settlement with Ms. Giuffre in a New York lawsuit, paying an undisclosed sum. The lawsuit involved accusations that he raped her when she was 17, though he consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Mountbatten-Windsor lost his royal title and honors last year following previous disclosures from the Epstein files. Despite this, he retains his position as eighth in line to the throne. While his ascension to the monarchy appears highly improbable, some politicians are advocating for a formal revocation of his succession rights.
Such a move would necessitate parliamentary legislation, a process that could potentially subject the monarchy to even greater public and political scrutiny.
Mountbatten-Windsor has previously stated that his initial introduction to Epstein occurred in 1999, facilitated by Ghislaine Maxwell, then Epstein’s girlfriend and the influential daughter of media magnate Robert Maxwell.
Epstein was incarcerated in 2008 after a guilty plea in Florida for soliciting a minor for prostitution. Two years later, Mountbatten-Windsor and Epstein were seen together in New York City’s Central Park. The former prince later asserted that this meeting was intended to formally conclude their friendship, a discussion he felt needed to happen in person.