Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor challenges police warrants after Epstein-linked arrest

On Oct 5, Mountbatten-Windsor began court proceedings in London against Thames Valley Police over warrants used in a February inquiry, after which police detained him on suspicion of misconduct in public office following the release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein.¹²³⁵

Challenge to the searches

The former prince filed a High Court claim contesting warrants that authorised searches of two residences. According to The Guardian, a High Court judge allowed him to pursue a case over whether the police action was lawful. Thames Valley Police confirmed that the proceedings concern warrants obtained from the Central Criminal Court.¹²³⁸

According to The Straits Times, the judicial review concerns searches at a residence on the Sandringham Estate and at Royal Lodge in Windsor. The report said Mountbatten-Windsor had asked the court to decide whether the police acted lawfully. Those details have not been independently confirmed by the other sources in the dossier.⁴

A hearing is due to begin privately at 2 p.m. on Oct 8 before Mr Justice Hilliard, Sky News reported. The immediate question is whether access to documents from the judicial-review proceedings should be restricted. The Guardian reported that Thames Valley Police opposes making the documents public.¹⁸

Arrest and continuing investigation

Police arrested Mountbatten-Windsor in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office and later released him under investigation. NPR reported that he was questioned for 11 hours and was neither charged nor exonerated when released. Thames Valley Police says its investigation is continuing.¹²³

The arrest followed the US Justice Department’s release of millions of pages from its investigation into Epstein’s sex trafficking and connections, according to NPR. The Guardian said police detained Mountbatten-Windsor on the day he turned 66 amid claims that, as the UK’s trade envoy, he had provided Epstein with sensitive information. The precise evidentiary basis for the arrest has not been established across the dossier’s sources.¹²

The Straits Times reported that police were investigating allegations that Mountbatten-Windsor passed documents to Epstein while working as a trade envoy. The same report said he denied wrongdoing connected with Epstein and said he regretted the friendship. Other coverage in the dossier says he has previously apologised and denied wrongdoing, but that account is disputed rather than confirmed.³⁴⁵

Police and royal responses

Thames Valley Police said: “We are engaged in legal proceedings in relation to warrants previously obtained from the Central Criminal Court”. The force said further comment would be inappropriate while those proceedings remained under way.¹³

King Charles, Mountbatten-Windsor’s older brother, said after the arrest that “the law must take its course”. Mountbatten-Windsor had already withdrawn from official royal duties in 2019 because of his association with Epstein. The king stripped him of titles and honours last October.²³⁴

NPR reported that the arrest marked the first detention of a senior British royal in nearly four centuries. Citing the Daily Telegraph, The Guardian said the case was the first time a royal-family member had contested the legality of criminal proceedings since Charles I was tried in 1649. Both historical comparisons are single-source claims within the dossier.¹²