Sandringham (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Britain’s royal family was in crisis Thursday as former prince Andrew was in police custody after being arrested on suspicion of misconduct for his links to late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The arrest of a royal family member is unprecedented in Britain’s modern era, and within hours King Charles III issued a rare personally signed statement insisting “the law must take its course.”
It was a humiliating new blow for the ousted prince — who was marking his 66th birthday Thursday, and was last year stripped of his titles. But the news was welcomed on London’s streets. “It’s good he’s been arrested,” data analyst Jennifer Tiso, 39, told AFP. “I don’t think that just because you’re related to the royal family, you should be above the law.”
Police said they were also searching two properties, with the BBC reporting one was Andrew’s former home, Royal Lodge, on the monarchy’s Windsor estate west of London. The other was his residence since this month on the king’s private Sandringham estate in Norfolk, eastern England, where his arrest occurred, according to British media. Widely-published images showed several unmarked cars, believed to be police vehicles, arriving there early Thursday. Thames Valley police said in a statement it had arrested “a man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office,” without naming the suspect, as is common practice in Britain. “The man remains in police custody at this time,” it added.
Andrew’s ties to Epstein, a financier and convicted sex offender awaiting trial on allegations of trafficking when he died in a US prison in 2019, caused the former royal’s spectacular years-long downfall.
Andrew’s arrest follows new revelations last week that the ex-prince appeared to have sent Epstein potentially confidential documents during his time as a UK trade envoy. In a November 2010 email seen by AFP, Andrew appeared to share with the US financier reports on several Asian countries following an official visit to the region. The ex-royal, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, also allegedly sent him details of the trip — on which he was accompanied by Epstein’s business associates — along with investment opportunities months later.
Charles last year stripped his brother of his titles and ordered him to leave his Windsor mansion — though he does remain eighth in the line of succession to the British throne. In his Thursday statement, the king reiterated he had learned of the latest claims “with the deepest concern” and that police have Buckingham Palace’s “full and wholehearted support and co-operation.” “Let me state clearly: the law must take its course,” he added.
In an apparent bid to project an air of business-as-usual, Charles carried out several public duties Thursday, including attending an event to open London Fashion Week. “How are you feeling after your brother’s arrest?” a reporter shouted at least twice as he arrived. It was unclear if the king heard the question. He did not respond.
Royal commentator Katie Nicholl told Sky News: “Let’s make no bones about it. This is a moment of crisis for the monarchy, possibly the greatest crisis since the (1936) abdication. No one quite knows how this is going to pan out.” The scandal has been gathering pace since one of Epstein’s accusers, Virginia Giuffre, last year claimed in her posthumous memoirs that she had been trafficked to have sex with Andrew when she was a teenager. The Giuffre family welcomed Andrew’s arrest Thursday, saying “our broken hearts have been lifted at the news,” adding he was “never a prince.”
Andrew has previously denied any wrongdoing in his associations with Epstein. He settled a US civil lawsuit in 2022 brought by Giuffre while not admitting liability. The ex-prince served as a British trade envoy for a decade from 2001. Official guidance stipulates trade envoys have a duty of confidentiality over sensitive commercial or political information related to their official visits, the BBC has said.
Misconduct in public office carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, according to the Crown Prosecution Service. It remained unclear where Andrew was being held. Under UK law he can be detained for 24 hours without charge, after which the police must apply to the courts for a custody extension. At least nine UK police forces have confirmed they are assessing claims stemming from the Epstein files, many related to Andrew. It follows the US justice department’s latest release of millions of files from its investigation into the US financier.
© 2024 AFP
