LONDON, February 19. /TASS/. The brother of the United Kingdom’s monarch, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, has been arrested on suspicion of abuse of office amid an investigation into his ties with convicted US financier Jeffrey Epstein, the BBC reported.
TASS has compiled key information about the situation.
Circumstances of detention
- The former prince was arrested on his 66th birthday.
- The Daily Telegraph reported that six police cars had arrived at his home on the grounds of the royal estate in Sandringham in eastern England.
- Thames Valley Police indirectly confirmed the arrest of the royal family member.
- Last week, Thames Valley Police announced that they had begun investigating allegations that Mountbatten-Windsor had shared confidential information with Epstein.
- This refers to the period when the royal family member, who at that time still held the titles of Prince and Duke of York, was the UK's special representative for international trade and investment.
- He held this position from 2001 to 2011.
- According to the Sky News TV channel, the data published by the US Department of Justice in the Epstein case file contains information that in 2010, Prince Andrew provided Epstein with reports on his trips to Vietnam, Singapore, and China and shared confidential information about investments in Afghanistan.
Dismissals and investigations in UK
- On February 3, the Metropolitan Police launched a criminal investigation against former UK ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson, on suspicion of sharing confidential information with Epstein, who was his friend.
- Mandelson was appointed to the post in February 2025.
- He was removed from the post in September, after new information on his ties with Epstein emerged.
- The UK media, upon examining the Epstein files, said that in 2009, Mandelson leaked to Epstein confidential information about the Labor Party’s tax reform, and passed to him information about the planned EU bailout for southern European countries, which were the hardest hit by the global financial crisis.
- On February 6, 2026, police searched two houses owned by Mandelson.
- On February 8, UK Prime Minister's chief of staff Morgan McSweeney resigned amid public anger over Mandelson’s appointment to the post of the UK ambassador to the US.
- After that, rumors that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer may soon lose his post, because he was the one to approve Mandelson’s appointment, have started to actively circulate in the British media.
- However, Starmer managed to secure his party’s support and retain his post.
Ex-prince’s royal debt
- Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor reportedly owed 12 million pounds ($16.3 million) to the royal family, which he spent to pay off his accuser, Virginia Giuffre, The Sun reported citing sources.
- The disgraced ex-prince reportedly borrowed seven million pounds from his mother, late Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022), and three million from her late husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1921-2021).
- According to the newspaper, Charles III gave his brother 1.5 million pounds, with the rest contributed by other members of the royal family.
- However, according to one source, the ex-prince is yet to pay back a penny of the cash.
- Later, The Times refuted the information that Charles III loaned any money to his brother, citing a source close to the monarch.
- Buckingham Palace distanced itself from the situation, the article says.
Royal family’s reaction
- A statement released by Buckingham Palace says King Charles III is ready to assist the police in their investigation of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s ties with Epstein.
- In a statement regarding the Epstein scandal, Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton said they were "deeply concerned by the continuing revelations," according to their press secretary.
Scandal around the ex-prince
- In 2019, Prince Andrew had to step back from active royal duties because of the controversy surrounding his friendship with Epstein.
- This happened after US citizen Virginia Giuffre said he was among men she had sex with when she was a teen and trafficked by Epstein at the age of 17.
- In January 2022, Prince Andrew was stripped of his military affiliations, royal patronages, and the use of the title "His Royal Highness" (HRH) in any official capacity.
- On October 17, 2025, Prince Andrew announced he would cease to be the Duke of York.
- On October 30, Prince Charles formally removed Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s right to the title of prince as new information on his ties with Epstein emerged.
- For many years, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor denied all of Virginia Giuffre’s accusations.
- However, after she filed a lawsuit against him in the United States, the UK Royal Family member reached an out-of-court settlement with her, paying a compensation, which, according to media reports, probably reached 12 million pounds (around $15 million).
- Giuffre committed suicide last April.
Epstein case
- Jeffrey Epstein was arrested by New York authorities on July 6, 2019.
- Prosecutors revealed that between 2002 and 2005, Epstein facilitated visits to his Manhattan residence for numerous underage girls, some as young as 14.
- Epstein's network included a wide array of notable individuals, such as current and former officials from the United States and other countries - including former heads of state - along with prominent business figures and celebrities from the entertainment industry.
- Epstein’s criminal case was ultimately dismissed following his death by suicide in his jail cell in August 2019.