London, 20 February (H.S.): In an unprecedented humiliation for the British monarchy, former Prince Andrew—now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor—was arrested at his Sandringham estate home on Thursday, coinciding with his 66th birthday, on suspicion of misconduct in public office linked to his ties with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Thames Valley Police detained him around 8:00 a.m. GMT at Wood Farm on the royal Norfolk estate, subjecting him to 11 hours of questioning before releasing him under investigation that evening, without charges or exoneration.
Dawn Raid and Intense Interrogation at Royal Stronghold
Unmarked police vehicles and undercover officers descended on the secluded Wood Farm residence shortly after 8:00 a.m. on February 19, initiating searches that extended to Andrew's former Berkshire home, Royal Lodge, by afternoon.
Photographs captured the disheveled ex-prince, wild-eyed and slumped in a car, departing Aylsham police station near his eastern England home around 7:00 p.m. GMT, escorted amid a media frenzy.
Police confirmed the man in his sixties from Norfolk was released pending further inquiries, with Norfolk operations concluded but the Berkshire probe ongoing.
The arrest stems from fresh Epstein files unsealed last week, revealing a November 2010 email where Andrew allegedly shared confidential reports from his Asian trade envoy visits with Epstein, convicted in 2008 for procuring a minor for prostitution. As UK trade representative from 2001 to 2011, Andrew faced scrutiny for breaching duties of confidentiality on sensitive commercial and political intelligence, an offense carrying a potential life sentence.
King's Rare Intervention Signals Institutional CrisisKing Charles III responded swiftly with a personally signed Buckingham Palace statement on February 19, expressing deepest concern and affirming, Let me state clearly: the law must take its course... What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities.
Despite the turmoil, Charles proceeded with public duties, inaugurating London Fashion Week, projecting continuity amid familial schism.Stripped of titles and evicted from Royal Lodge last year—yet eighth in succession—Andrew's detention evokes historical precedents unseen since the 1936 abdication, per royal expert Ed Owens.
Commentator Katie Nicholl deemed it the greatest crisis since the abdication, while locals in Dersingham voiced cautious approval of accountability.
Epstein Shadows and Broader Fallout
Andrew settled Virginia Giuffre's 2021 U.S. civil suit—alleging trafficking for sex as a teen—without admitting liability, having denied encounters in a 2019 BBC interview. Giuffre's family hailed the arrest, declaring their broken hearts lifted and dubbing him never a prince. At least nine UK forces now probe Epstein-related claims, amplifying transatlantic scrutiny from U.S. Justice Department disclosures.
Pub owner John Higginson in Dersingham sympathized with heirs William and Kate, encapsulating public unease. As investigations proliferate, the monarchy confronts existential questions of privilege versus probity in King Charles's reign.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
