Andrew Takes Police to Court Over Epstein Files Arrest
By Martin Evans (Crime Editor), Victoria Ward (Deputy Royal Editor), Tom Parry
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has launched legal action against Thames Valley Police over his arrest in relation to the Epstein files, The Telegraph can reveal.
The former Duke of York, who was detained in a blaze of publicity eight months ago, has asked a judge to determine whether the force’s action towards him was lawful.
He has lodged a judicial review in connection with the search warrants that allowed police to raid his home on the Sandringham Estate and his former residence at Royal Lodge in Windsor.
It is the first time a member of the Royal family has challenged the lawfulness of criminal proceedings against them since the trial of Charles I in 1649.
The former prince was arrested in February at Marsh Farm in Norfolk on his 66th birthday.
After being driven to Aylsham Police Station, about 40 miles away, he was questioned for almost 12 hours on suspicion of misconduct in public office, before eventually being released under investigation.
A photograph taken as he was driven away from the police station showed him looking shell-shocked and exhausted.
Detectives also spent days searching Marsh Farm and Royal Lodge, removing documents and other items as part of the investigation.
Police exit the gates of Royal Lodge, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s former residence in Windsor Great Park, in February
But it is understood his legal team is keen to examine whether the search warrants – granted by an Old Bailey judge following an application from Thames Valley Police – were lawful.
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor asked for permission to judicially review the decision earlier this year and his application was subsequently granted by a High Court judge.
The Telegraph has learnt there is to be a private hearing at the High Court later this week to determine whether to release certain court documents relating to the judicial review.
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest followed the publication of material in the Epstein files suggesting he may have shared sensitive information with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein when he was the UK’s trade envoy between 2001 and 2011.
It was alleged that Mr Mountbatten-Windsor forwarded reports to Epstein about visits he made to Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam and China and allegedly sent him a confidential briefing note on investment opportunities in Afghanistan’s Helmand province.
He is being investigated on suspicion of misconduct in public office, a notoriously complex common law offence that covers public officials who abuse their power for some sort of advantage.
But there are claims the police investigation is in grave difficulty after the US department of justice refused to hand over the unredacted versions of the Epstein files.
A formal letter of request for access to the relevant material could take more than a year to respond to, with no guarantee the US authorities will comply.
Meanwhile, friends of Mr Mountbatten-Windsor have said he feels he is “living in limbo” as he waits for the long-running investigation to conclude.
The former duke has effectively been in exile at Sandringham since his arrest, and earlier this year was allegedly chased and harassed by a man wearing a balaclava, while out walking his dogs.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor with Jeffrey Epstein in New York’s Central Park in 2010
In May, Thames Valley Police announced the investigation would also look at allegations of sexual misconduct and appealed for anyone with information to come forward.
But this was interpreted by some as a sign of desperation by senior officers at the force, worried they had overplayed their hand by arresting the King’s younger brother.
He is the most senior member of the Royal family to be arrested in modern times – an unprecedented development for the House of Windsor.
One senior Metropolitan Police source has since expressed surprise at the arrest, questioning why Thames Valley Police did not simply invite him in for questioning under caution.
He told The Telegraph: “I am not sure if the Met had been leading this investigation they would have taken the same approach.”
Allies have long suspected the decision to arrest him at his own home, and on that particular date, was orchestrated to cause maximum humiliation.
Buckingham Palace has insisted the monarch did not receive any warning of the arrest. At the time, the King issued a written statement, saying “the law must take its course” and expressing his “deepest concern” about the allegations.
“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,” he said.
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor on the Sandringham Estate in April
Since then, Mr Mountbatten-Windsor is understood to have had no contact with the King, although his two other siblings, the Princess Royal and the Duke of Edinburgh, have been supportive.
The release in February of millions of documents gathered during investigations into Epstein exposed the former duke to allegations that he had used his role as UK trade envoy to share confidential information with the paedophile and others.
Lord Mandelson was also arrested that month, amid claims that while working as a government minister he had passed documents to Epstein.
The former Cabinet minister, who was sacked as the British ambassador to Washington in September, resigned from the Labour Party and quit the House of Lords after the files appeared to show that he had leaked market-sensitive information while a minister under Gordon Brown.
The resulting scandal helped end Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership. Lord Mandelson has never been charged and denies any wrongdoing.
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest was covered exhaustively in the press
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor alleged in his infamous Newsnight interview in 2019 that he last saw Epstein in early December 2010 to tell him he was breaking off their friendship.
However, emails released by the US department of justice showed that on Christmas Eve that year, he messaged Epstein and sent him a confidential briefing about investment opportunities in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, where reconstruction was being funded by the UK government.
In October 2010, he had forwarded official reports of his visits to Singapore, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Shenzhen in China written by Amit Patel, his then-special assistant. The reports were sent to Epstein by Mr Mountbatten-Windsor just five minutes after he received them from Mr Patel.
It emerged that the then-Duke of York and Epstein planned to launch a business together in China, years after Epstein was convicted of a child sex offence and while Mr Mountbatten-Windsor was still a trade envoy.
A lifetime of scandal
1970s – ‘Randy Andy’
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor picks up the nickname “Randy Andy” after being caught in the girls’ boarding house at Gordonstoun. He later dates Koo Stark, the American actress, but the pair split after she appears nude in the 1976 film Emily.
1992 – Separation and toe-sucking
Having married in 1986, the Duke and Duchess of York separate in 1992 and soon afterwards a photograph surfaces of Sarah Ferguson having her toes sucked by her financial adviser in St Tropez. The royal pair formally divorce in 1996.
1999 – Epstein visits Balmoral
Ghislaine Maxwell and her then boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein, allegedly with an entourage of young women, visit Balmoral Castle, the late Queen’s private Scottish estate, at the invitation of Andrew. A photo showing the couple at Balmoral emerges years later.
2000 – Windsor Castle
Andrew invites the couple to a joint birthday party at Windsor Castle celebrating his 40th, Princess Anne’s 50th, Prince William’s 18th and Princess Margaret’s 70th.
2004 – ‘Air Miles’ Andy
Appointed the UK’s special representative for international trade and investment in 2001, Andrew was ridiculed for his excessive use of helicopters and private jets.
2008 – Epstein imprisoned
Two years after Epstein first faced criminal charges for multiple counts of unlawful sex with a minor, he pleads guilty to one count of soliciting prostitution from someone under the age of 18.
He avoids federal charges, which could have led to a life jail term, and is sentenced to 18 months in jail on a special programme that allows him to leave and go to his office during the day. After 13 months, he is released on good behaviour.
2010 – Andrew in Manhattan
Footage is captured of Andrew peering around the front door of Epstein’s Manhattan mansion and giving a younger woman a cheerful wave. An hour earlier, Epstein had left the house in the company of another young woman.
February 2011 – Virginia Giuffre photo published
After being tracked down in Australia, an interview with Virginia Giuffre (née Roberts) appears in The Mail on Sunday, with a picture showing Andrew with his hand around Giuffre’s waist at Maxwell’s Belgravia home in 1999. It was allegedly taken by Epstein and is the defining photo of the story.
The News of the World publishes photographs (taken in December 2010) of Andrew and Epstein deep in conversation on an afternoon walk in Central Park.
At the time Epstein had recently been released from jail for child sex offences. Andrew would later claim he was there, staying at Epstein’s home again, to end the friendship.
July 2011 – Andrew loses envoy role
Four months after his ties with Epstein come under severe scrutiny, Andrew loses his trade role, Buckingham Palace announces.
April 2015 – Andrew accused
It is made public that Andrew has been accused of participating in sexual activities with a minor, later identified as Giuffre. She alleges they had sex three times: in London, in New York, and on Epstein’s private Caribbean island.
July 2015 – Epstein arrested
Epstein is arrested on federal sex trafficking charges.
August 2019 – Epstein found unresponsive
Guards at the Metropolitan Correctional Centre in New York find Epstein unresponsive in his cell. He is pronounced dead later that day. An examiner rules his death is suicide.
November 2019 – Newsnight interview
Andrew is interviewed by Emily Maitlis in a Newsnight special at Buckingham Palace. He attempts to use the interview to explain how he has been hugely misunderstood. This is not achieved. Instead he provokes more questions, becomes a laughing stock worldwide and puts Woking’s Pizza Express on the map.
November 2019 – Andrew steps back from royal duties
A week after the disastrous interview, Andrew announces he is stepping back from royal duties, since the Epstein scandal has become a “major disruption” to the Royal family. “I continue to unequivocally regret my ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein,” he says.
Aug 2021 – Giuffre sues Andrew
Giuffre sues Andrew in the United States, accusing him of sexual assault.
Jan 2022 – Stripped of military titles
Andrew’s military titles and royal patronages are returned to the Queen. He will stop using the title His Royal Highness in an official capacity.
February 2022 – Sexual assault case settled
In a surprise twist, Andrew settles the sexual assault case filed against him by Giuffre for an undisclosed sum, said to be worth £9m. The settlement spares him having to give evidence at trial.
Mar 2022 – Appearances at memorials
Andrew makes a controversial appearance at a memorial service at Westminster Abbey for his late father, Prince Philip, when he escorts his mother, the late Queen, to her seat.
In September 2022, Andrew wears military uniform again for the “Vigil of the Princes” whilst the Queen lies in state at Westminster Hall, but not for her state funeral or during the period of national mourning.
December 2024 – The Chinese Spy
It emerges that Andrew forged a close friendship with Yang Tengbo, a suspected Chinese spy who inserted himself into the highest circles of the British establishment.
Jan 2025 – New Epstein messages
Messages revealed Andrew remained in contact with Epstein until February 2011, despite having claimed to have cut ties in December 2010.
In one message Andrew wrote: “Keep in close touch and we’ll play some more soon.”
Days after a photograph was published showing Andrew with his arm around Giuffre, he contacted Epstein to say they were “in this together”.
October 2025 – China
The Telegraph revealed that Andrew held meetings with Cai Qi, the top Chinese official at the centre of the Westminster spy case, on at least three occasions from 2018 to 2019.
He also invited him to Buckingham Palace for lunch in 2018.
Oct 17 2025 – Andrew gives up royal titles
Andrew agreed with the King to stop using his titles, including the Duke of York, saying he had “always put my duty to my family and country first”. His ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, also agreed to relinquish her Duchess of York title.
Oct 18 2025 – Andrew sought help of Met Police in smearing accuser
He told Buckingham Palace aide Ed Perkins, who at the time was Elizabeth II’s deputy press secretary, that he had asked one of his personal Metropolitan Police protection officers to dig up information about Virginia Giuffre in an attempt to smear her.
Oct 20 2025 – Andrew paid peppercorn rent on Royal Lodge
The leasehold agreement on the Royal Lodge reveals Andrew had paid “one peppercorn (if demanded)” in rent per year since 2003. The Crown Estate, which manages Crown properties for the benefit of taxpayers, confirmed the Royal Lodge is now held on a peppercorn rent, with a value of “nil” having been recorded in a National Audit Office report.
Oct 30 2025 – Andrew will no longer be a prince and will move out of Royal Lodge
Buckingham Palace said in a statement that the monarch’s younger brother would now be known simply as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. It is understood he will move to the Sandringham Estate.
Feb 19 2026 – Andrew arrested
Unmarked police cars arrived at both the Sandringham estate and the Royal Lodge in Windsor. Andrew was taken into custody for suspected misconduct in public office.
Business discussions between the pair, which were conducted through David Stern, a liaison, apparently continued for more than five years after Epstein was released from prison.
Mr Stern, an aide to Mr Mountbatten-Windsor, first floated the business venture to Epstein in an email on July 24, 2010, when the paedophile was still under house arrest.
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor also appears to have shared an internal government memo about the Icelandic financial crisis with Jonathan Rowland, his close friend and the former chief executive of Banque Havilland, a bank that had bought assets from a failed Icelandic lender a year earlier.
It follows a separate high-profile court case earlier this year involving the Duke of Sussex, who sued the Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers over allegations of phone hacking.
A judge found against the Duke and his fellow claimants on all the allegations.
