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By Kate Plummer
Senior US News Reporter
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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, according to multiple reports.
Several police cars and officers arrived at his home on the royals' Sandringham estate, photos published by the Daily Telegraph and Metro showed.
Officers arrived shortly after 8 a.m. local time (3 a.m. ET) on Thursday—Mountbatten-Windsor’s 66th birthday—the outlets said. Thames Valley Police said in a statement that officers had "arrested a man in his sixties from Norfolk."
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The arrest follows renewed scrutiny about Mountbatten-Windsor's past association with disgraced financier and convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. Police have not said whether the arrest is connected to that relationship. Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied any wrongdoing over his links to Epstein.
Below, Newsweek has outlined a timeline showing key developments in the relationship - and the public's understanding of the relationship - between the pair.
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Timeline of Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein's Relationship
2001
Virginia Giuffre, then Virginia Roberts, accused Mountbatten-Windsor of raping her in 2001 when she was 17 years old and said she had been sex trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein, fearing death if she refused to have sex with Mountbatten-Windsor. Giuffre died by suicide in April 2025, her family said.
2010
Mountbatten-Windsor was photographed walking with Epstein in Central Park, New York, after Epstein was released from jail, where he had served time for soliciting a minor for prostitution.
2011
Mountbatten-Windsor resigned as U.K. trade envoy, a role he was given in 2001 to promote British business interests abroad, amid his ties to Epstein. He stated he had ended contacted with Epstein.
2015
Giuffre reported her allegations to the Metropolitan Police in 2015, but it concluded based on interviews with Giuffre and other Epstein victims that their accounts "did not result in any allegation of criminal conduct against any U.K.-based nationals."
2019
Mountbatten-Windsor was interviewed on Newsnight, the BBC's flagship current affairs show, about his relationship with Epstein.He said he had no recollection of meeting Giuffre and that he was at a chain restaurant, Pizza Express, in Woking, Surrey, on the day of one alleged encounter.
The then prince was widely criticized and the backlash led to him stepping back from public royal duties.
This came in a year in which Epstein was arrested and died in jail by suicide.
2022
Mountbatten-Windsor settled a civil lawsuit brought by Giuffre in New York for an undisclosed sum in 2022 while denying liability. He has always denied her allegations.
2025
After documents from the Epstein files appeared to show Mountbatten-Windsor maintained his relationship with Epstein for longer than he previously acknowledged, he was stripped of his royal titles and honors and it was announced he would move out of Royal Lodge, his home in Windsor, to the king's private estate in Norfolk.
2026
On February 19, the day of his 66th birthday, Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He is in custody, police said, and officers are searching his addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk.
"Police have opened an investigation into an offence of misconduct in public office," Thames Valley Police said in a statement. "A man in his sixties from Norfolk has been arrested and remains in police custody. As per national guidance we will not name the arrested man."
Thames Valley Police said earlier in February that it was assessing the evidence from the Epstein files with a view to considering whether to investigate Mountbatten-Windsor for misconduct in public office.
Buckingham Palace said in a recent statement that King Charles III would support police examining Mountbatten-Windsor’s links to Epstein.
Update, 02/19/2026, 7:12 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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