Unlawful conduct in public office. On this charge the British police arrested on Thursday morning former Prince Andrew He thus becomes the first senior member of the royal family in modern history to be arrested. Andrew was released after 12 hours of questioning.
According to investigators, King Charles's brother would have shared confidential information with pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein in his former capacity as trade emissary of the London government.
The arrest of Queen Elizabeth II's third son, who turns 66 today, occurred after the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer he had stated that“no one is above the law” And after King Charles III himself had further distanced himself from him in recent days, making it known that he was ready to cooperate with police investigations if requested. "The law must take its course," the king added today, following his brother's arrest.
Last October, the UK Royal Family also stripped him of his royal titles – so much so that he is now referred to only by his Christian name Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor – following the publication of his posthumous memoirs. Virginia Giuffre, who in 2021 had accused him of having forced her to have sexual intercourse when she was a minor and who recounted in detail in the book the abuse she suffered.
The arrest of former Prince Andrew
The arrest took place in the "private" residence of Sandringham, adjacent to a complex of royal residences, where Andrew was recently relegated by his brother Charles following the eviction from the former luxurious Royal Lodge home, at Windsor Castle.
British media report that the operation was conducted by several officials who arrived in six unmarked cars. The charges currently face include misconduct in public office, a crime which, according to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), cited by BBC News, predicts one maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
According to investigators, between 2010 and 2011, Andrea shared confidential information relating to his official missions accomplished in Asia as an emissary and commercial testimonial of the British government with both Jeffrey Epstein the pedophile financier who committed suicide in prison in 2019, who with other businessmen in their circle of friends.
In a rather vague statement from Thames Valley it talks about searches carried out in Norfolk, where Sandringham is located, and at another residence in Berkshire and it is specified that "a 66-year-old man has been arrested and remains in custody." He is expected to be interviewed today, before a possible release on bail.
King Charles's words: "The law must take its course."
In a clear and peremptory statement, released unusually quickly by Buckingham Palace in the face of such an embarrassing situation for the monarchy, King Charles commented on his brother's arrest: “I learned with the deepest concern the news concerning Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and the suspicion of misconduct in the exercise of public office”. “What must now follow – continues the sovereign – is a thorough, fair and appropriate investigative process conducted in the appropriate manner and by legitimate authorities. In this regard, as I have already said previously, they have our sincere support and cooperation." “Let me be clear: the law must take its course,” Charles III then clarifies, not without emphasizing that the investigations are ongoing and that therefore "it is not right" for him "to make further comments on the matter." The monarch concludes by reiterating his commitment and that "of my family" to "continue to carry out our duty and to guarantee the service" of the monarchy to the British people. The message is signed "Charles R." (from the initial of the word Rex, king in Latin).
The precedent dates back to the Civil War
As the Guardian reconstructs, before Andrew, we have to go back to King Charles I to find the last senior member of the British royal family to end up in prison. Charles I was arrested in 1647 during the Civil War English forces aligned with Parliament, including the New Model Army. He was detained and later tried for high treason after refusing to accept limits on royal authority, which led to his execution in 1649.
Andrew's sister, Princess Anne She was instead convicted and fined under the Dangerous Dogs Act in 2002 after her dog bit two children. However, she was not arrested in connection with the crime.
(Last updated: 12:40 PM, Thursday, February 19).
