Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor Sues U.K. Police Over Arrest

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor — the former Prince Andrew — is taking legal action against the U.K.'s Thames Valley Police, filing for a judicial review of search warrants executed on his homes, The Telegraph reported Monday.

The warrants allowed police to search his home on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk and his former residence, Royal Lodge in Windsor.

"We are engaged in legal proceedings in relation to warrants previously obtained from the Central Criminal Court," a Thames Valley Police spokesperson told the BBC on Monday. "As these legal proceedings are currently ongoing, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further."

Andrew was arrested on February 19 — his 66th birthday — on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright said in a statement at the time, "Following a thorough assessment, we have now opened an investigation into this allegation of misconduct in public office."

The arrest came weeks after the Thames Valley Police confirmed to the BBC that it was assessing allegations that Andrew had shared confidential information with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein while serving as a U.K. trade envoy, a role he held between 2001 and 2011.

Andrew is the first member of the royal family to challenge the "lawfulness of criminal proceedings against them since the trial of Charles I in 1649," per The Telegraph.

One year before the arrest, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles III was stripping Andrew of his royal style, titles and honors amid scrutiny over sexual assault allegations and his association with Epstein. A palace statement from October 2024 said, "Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. His lease on Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to continue in residence. Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease and he will move to alternative private accommodation."

Following the arrest, King Charles III said, "I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office. 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." The king added, "Let me state clearly: the law must take its course."

Andrew has always maintained his innocence and denied any wrongdoing.