"We have today arrested a man over 60 from Norfolk."
The statement from Thames Valley Police - which is being reprinted in all major British media outlets - came after reports of a major police operation outside Andrew’s home at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk. The police said they would not be releasing the name of the person arrested "in line with national guidelines", although they understood the high level of public interest.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is being investigated by the police for misconduct in public office, a crime that, according to The Guardian, can result in life imprisonment if committed in a serious manner.
The suspicions concern that he may have provided potentially secret information to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during his time as a trade envoy, and therefore do not relate to previous allegations of sexual assault.
Arrested on birthday
The former prince was arrested on his 66th birthday. It is not known whether Andrew has been questioned yet, nor where he is being held. According to the BBC, the former prince cannot expect any special treatment. However, after nearly twelve hours, Andrew was released in the evening, the BBC reports, referring to pictures showing Andrew in the back seat of a car.
According to the BBC, King Charles and the court had not been informed in advance that Andrew would be arrested.
Several police cars were on site outside the scandal-ridden former prince's home on Thursday morning, and according to The Times, Prince William and his wife Kate were at their residence in Sandringham that morning, although far from Andrew's house.
It was not until 4 p.m. local time that several cars left the property, The Guardian reports.
Shared tasks
An email from 2010 suggests that the then-prince may have shared reports of business visits to Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China, with Epstein.
He is also said to have sent details of the trip and investment opportunities. Trade envoys are bound by confidentiality when it comes to sensitive, commercial or political information related to official visits.
The former prince is one of many celebrities who have been caught in the crossfire of the Epstein scandal. Last year, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, King Charles' brother, was stripped of his royal titles over his association with convicted and deceased paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Thursday's arrest is historic, according to The Times, as it is the first time in over 350 years that a member of the royal family has been arrested. That time it was King Charles I, who was indicted and then, in January 1649, executed.
Corrected: In an earlier version, the wrong year was given for Charles I's execution.
He was born February 19, 1960, as Andrew Albert Christian Edward, the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
He is number eight in the British line of succession.
He served as a pilot in the Royal Navy during the Falklands War in 1982.
He married Sarah Ferguson in 1986. They then became the Duke and Duchess of York. Andrew and Sarah divorced ten years later.
He has two daughters with Sarah Ferguson, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, born in 1988 and 1990 respectively.
He was accused in 2014 of raping then-17-year-old Virginia Giuffre in 2001 at the home of Jeffrey Epstein.
Giuffre later sued Andrew, and the parties reached a settlement over the sexual assault allegations in 2022. Giuffre died in April 2025, aged 41.
Andrew renounced the title of Duke of York last October, as well as several other titles and honours, including Britain's highest order, the Order of the Garter. At the end of October 2025, he also lost the right to the title of prince.
