British police announced on Thursday the arrest of former Prince Andrew following allegations of "misconduct in the performance of official duties"The information was released by Windsor police, while searches were underway at two addresses in England, in a context presented by authorities as being linked to these accusations.
Thames Valley Police, which has jurisdiction over the area where Royal Lodge, the residence Andrew occupied until recently, is located, confirmed the arrest of King Charles III's brother in a statement. Police had previously indicated they were "assessing" information that Andrew had passed potentially confidential information to Jeffrey Epstein during his time as the UK's envoy for international trade between 2001 and 2011.
Suspicions linked to the Epstein case and material evidence mentioned
According to several British media outlets, including the BBC, the arrest comes in the wake of new revelations related to the Epstein case, notably the release of previously unseen photographs showing Andrew with an unidentified young woman. The same sources indicate that unmarked police vehicles were seen at the Sandringham estate in Norfolk at the time of the operation.
The arrest took place on Andrew's 66th birthday. In a statement quoted by the media, the police specified: "As part of the investigation, we arrested a man in his sixties from Norfolk today (February 19th) on suspicion of misconduct in the performance of his public duties, and we are currently conducting searches at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk. The man is currently in custody."
Thames Valley Police confirmed these details in a separate statement, noting that the investigation concerned alleged events dating back to the period when Andrew held official positions.
The authorities did not specify the timeline for the next steps in the procedure, stating only that the investigation was continuing.
