The file
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
Photo: Titanic Belfast, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
person

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor

Known as Prince Andrew

Third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born 1960)

Entries
26
On the record
4
Stories
1
Latest entry
Oct 30, 2026

The record

Compiled by the MrScandal desk from the documents below · Desk editor Kristaps Siliņš · Nov 10, 2026

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former Prince Andrew, was arrested by Thames Valley Police at about 8 a.m. on February 19, 2026, on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Police did not name him, describing a man in his sixties from Norfolk, and searched addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk; later court papers identify them as Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate and Royal Lodge in Windsor. He was interviewed under caution and released under investigation the same day. Police say the inquiry examines alleged misconduct after files were released under the U.S. Epstein Files Transparency Act, and NBC News reported emails in those files that appeared to show him forwarding trade envoy visit reports to Jeffrey Epstein in 2010. He has said he vigorously denies the accusations against him.

As of November 2026 no charge has been announced. Thames Valley Police says the investigation is ongoing, that it has worked with the U.S. Department of Justice and that it sought early investigative advice from the Crown Prosecution Service. In July 2026 the High Court quashed the search warrants after the force accepted they had been issued under the wrong provision of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act; a police application to keep the seized material is not expected to be heard until 2027. In October 2026 Police Scotland said it was making inquiries at a very early stage, which the AP reported concern his time at Balmoral with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

The arrest came after the loss of his titles. In October 2025 he said he would stop using his title and honors, and Charles III began a formal process to remove them. Letters Patent dated November 3, 2025 ended his right to the style Royal Highness and the title Prince, his Garter and Royal Victorian Order appointments were cancelled, and notice was served to surrender the Royal Lodge lease. He had been the government's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment from October 2001 until he gave up the role in July 2011, and Parliament obtained the papers on that appointment in 2026.

His friendship with Epstein had already ended his public role. After a BBC Newsnight interview in November 2019 he stepped back from public duties, saying he regretted an ill-judged association. In August 2021 a woman who alleged he sexually abused her when she was 17, while she was being trafficked by Epstein, sued him in federal court in Manhattan. He denied the allegations, a judge refused to dismiss the case, and the parties settled in February 2022 for an undisclosed sum before the suit was dismissed with prejudice.

Questions people ask

Why was Prince Andrew arrested?

Thames Valley Police arrested him on February 19, 2026 on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The force says the investigation is examining a number of aspects of alleged misconduct following the release of files under the Epstein Files Transparency Act in the United States. source

Has Prince Andrew been charged?

Thames Valley Police has not announced a charge. Its statement of October 8, 2026 said the investigation into alleged misconduct in public office by a man in his 60s from Norfolk remained ongoing and that it was pursuing all reasonable lines of enquiry. source

Which police force arrested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor?

Thames Valley Police. A High Court order of October 8, 2026 records that the force executed search warrants on February 19, 2026 at Wood Farm, Sandringham and Royal Lodge, Windsor, in its investigation of alleged misconduct in public office, and that the warrants were later quashed as unlawful. source

Could Prince Andrew go to prison?

An arrest is not a charge, and no charge has been announced. Misconduct in public office is a common law offence that can be tried only on indictment and carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, according to Crown Prosecution Service guidance. source

Roles and honours on the record

  • 1979-2001 Royal Navy officer and helicopter pilot; flew Sea Kings with 820 Naval Air Squadron from HMS Invincible in the 1982 Falklands conflict source
  • 2001-2011 The government's Special Representative for Trade and Investment, relinquished in July 2011 source
  • 2006-2025 Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter, appointed April 23, 2006; appointment cancelled and annulled in 2025 source
  • 2017 Appointed Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, succeeding the Duke of Edinburgh source
  • 2025-present Known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor after the King began removing his style, titles and honors source

Every entry, newest first

Last entry Oct 2026
  1. Reported

    2026-10 [reported] Reports said lease terms entitled Andrew to £302,000 compensation, offset by £1.8M in repair costs. Ex-Prince Andrew loses his titles; Royal Lodge costs King £1.5M

  2. Reported

    2025-10 [reported] Buckingham Palace announced formal notice served to surrender the Royal Lodge lease. Ex-Prince Andrew loses his titles; Royal Lodge costs King £1.5M

  3. Reported

    2025-11 [record] By Letters Patent dated 3 November 2025, Andrew Mountbatten Windsor was declared no longer entitled to the style 'Royal Highness' or the title Ex-Prince Andrew loses his titles; Royal Lodge costs King £1.5M

  4. Reported

    2023-04 [reported] Charles III reduced Andrew's £249,000 annuity from Queen Elizabeth II. Ex-Prince Andrew loses his titles; Royal Lodge costs King £1.5M

Stories in this file

Ornate black and gold palace gates in front of trees: SURRENDEREDRoyals · 8d ago

🏰 Ex-Prince Andrew loses his titles; Royal Lodge costs King £1.5M

The lease still owed him £302,000, swallowed by a £1.8M repair bill. The King covers the £1.5M gap from his own funds. 📌

The record, entry by entry

  1. 2001-10-01 Official Began engagements as British Trade International's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment, according to a September 2001 telegram to trade staff that the government published in 2026. The same release lists a March 2000 paper informing the Queen that ministers were content with the appointment. UK Government, Return to a Commons humble address, HC 222 (May 2026)
  2. 2011-07-21 Official Prime Minister David Cameron thanked him for his contribution to UK trade over the previous decade after he decided to relinquish his position as the government's Special Representative for Trade and Investment. Prime Minister's Office, statement on the Duke of York (July 21, 2011)
  3. 2019-11 Reported In a BBC Newsnight interview he said he had no recollection of ever meeting the woman who later sued him. Asked about Epstein, he said he regretted that Epstein had conducted himself in a manner he called unbecoming, then agreed that Epstein was a sex offender. BBC, Newsnight interview transcript (Nov. 17, 2019)
  4. 2019-11-20 Official Said he was stepping back from public duties with the Queen's permission, that he regretted his ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein, and that he was willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with its investigations, if required. Royal Household, statement by the Duke of York
  5. 2021-08-09 Filed A woman sued him in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York under New York's Child Victims Act, alleging he sexually abused her when she was 17 while she was being trafficked by Epstein, and claiming battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Complaint, No. 1:21-cv-06702 (S.D.N.Y.)
  6. 2022-01-11 Ruled U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan denied his motion to dismiss in all respects, noting that his motion papers denied the allegations in no uncertain terms and that nothing in the ruling indicated a view on the truth of the charges. Memorandum opinion, No. 1:21-cv-06702 (S.D.N.Y.), filed Jan. 12, 2022
  7. 2022-01-13 Official Buckingham Palace said his military affiliations and royal patronages had been returned to the Queen and that he would defend the case as a private citizen. Royal Household, statement from Buckingham Palace
  8. 2022-02-15 Official The parties told the court they had reached a settlement in principle. Their joint statement said the sum would not be disclosed, that he would make a substantial donation to her charity supporting victims' rights, and that he regretted his association with Epstein. Joint statement filed in No. 1:21-cv-06702 (S.D.N.Y.), Dkt. 78-1
  9. 2022-03-08 Filed Both sides filed a stipulation dismissing the case with prejudice under a settlement agreement dated February 12, 2022, with each side bearing its own costs and fees. Stipulation of dismissal, No. 1:21-cv-06702 (S.D.N.Y.), Dkt. 82
  10. 2025-10-17 Official Said he would no longer use his title or the honors conferred on him, with the King's agreement, adding: "I vigorously deny the accusations against me." Royal Household, statement by Prince Andrew
  11. 2025-10-30 Official Buckingham Palace said the King had begun a formal process to remove his style, titles and honors, that he would be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, and that notice had been served to surrender his Royal Lodge lease, while noting that he continues to deny the allegations. Royal Household, statement from Buckingham Palace
  12. 2025-11-03 Official Letters Patent under the Great Seal declared that he is no longer entitled to the style Royal Highness or the title Prince, according to a Crown Office notice published in The London Gazette on November 5, 2025. The London Gazette, Crown Office notice 4992102
  13. 2025-11-06 Official Democrats on the House Oversight Committee asked him to sit for a transcribed interview in their Epstein investigation by November 20. Their letter cited flight logs it said showed him as a passenger on Epstein's plane between 1999 and 2006, and estate financial records with notations such as "massage for Andrew." House Oversight Committee Democrats, letter to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor (Nov. 6, 2025)
  14. 2025-12-01 Official The King directed that his appointments as a Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter (2006) and a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (2011) be cancelled and annulled and his name erased from both registers. The London Gazette, Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood notice 5007398
  15. 2025-12-13 Official The Metropolitan Police said a further assessment of reports that he asked his Met close protection officer in 2011 to carry out checks on the woman who later sued him found no additional evidence of criminal acts or misconduct, and that it would take no further action. Metropolitan Police statement (Dec. 13, 2025)
  16. 2026-02-09 Reported NBC News reported that emails in newly released Epstein files appeared to show him forwarding visit reports for Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shenzhen to Epstein within five minutes of receiving them on November 30, 2010. Thames Valley Police confirmed it had received a report about the claims and was assessing it. NBC News report
  17. 2026-02-19 Official Thames Valley Police said that at about 8 a.m. it had arrested a man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office and was searching addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk. In line with national guidance, it did not name him. Thames Valley Police statement (Feb. 19, 2026)
  18. 2026-02-19 Official Charles III said he had learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office, adding: "the law must take its course." Royal Household, statement from His Majesty The King
  19. 2026-05-21 Official Answering a Commons humble address of February 24, 2026, the government published papers on the creation of the Special Representative role and his 2001 appointment on May 21, followed by a second set in July. It said it was cooperating fully with the Thames Valley Police investigation. UK Government, Further Return to an Address, HC 498 (July 2026)
  20. 2026-05-22 Official Thames Valley Police said the man was interviewed under caution and released under investigation on the day of his arrest, that it was working with the U.S. Department of Justice, had sought early investigative advice from the Crown Prosecution Service and was speaking with a number of witnesses. It added that a separate assessment of reports that a woman was taken to an address in Windsor in 2010 for sexual purposes was ongoing. Thames Valley Police statement (May 22, 2026)
  21. 2026-07-22 Ruled The High Court quashed the search warrants executed at Wood Farm, Sandringham and Royal Lodge, Windsor, after Thames Valley Police conceded they were unlawfully issued under section 8 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act. Mr Justice Hilliard said the ruling does not end the investigation, and a police application to keep the seized material is not expected to be heard until 2027. High Court, order and reasons, AC-2026-LON-002321 (Oct. 8, 2026)
  22. 2026-10-30 Reported Police Scotland said it was making inquiries at a very early stage and would never confirm details of ongoing inquiries; it did not name him. The Associated Press reported that the inquiries concern his time at the King's Balmoral estate with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Associated Press report via NBC News

Documents

Sources behind this file

  1. The Guardian report on the £302,000 grant and £1.8m repair bill · Report, Oct 9, 2026
  2. BBC News report: King pays Andrew's £1.5m repair bill · Report, Oct 9, 2026
  3. CNN report on the Crown Estate's no-compensation assessment · Report, Dec 2, 2025
  4. Crown Office notice (Letters Patent), The London Gazette · Public record, Nov 3, 2025
  5. The Guardian report on the six-figure payout and annual stipend · Report, Oct 31, 2025
  6. BBC News report on title removal and lease-surrender notice · Report, Oct 30, 2025
  7. BBC News report: Andrew gives up the Duke of York title · Report, Oct 17, 2025
  8. The Telegraph report on the £249,000 annuity cut · Report, Feb 19, 2023

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