Former Prince Andrew Arrested in Britain Over Epstein Ties

[dalton99a]

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/02/19/world/uk-prince-andrew-arrest-epstein

Former Prince Andrew Arrested in Britain Over Epstein Ties
King Charles III said he supported a “full, fair and proper process” regarding the investigation of his brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, adding that he backed the authorities involved.

British police on Thursday arrested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, over suspicions of misconduct in public office after accusations that he shared confidential information with Jeffrey Epstein while serving as a British trade envoy.

The arrest was a stunning blow to the British monarchy, which has been rocked by scandals for decades and is now having to endure the spectacle of having one of its members arrested. The move escalated the long-running crisis for Buckingham Palace over the former prince’s ties to Mr. Epstein and allegations of sexual abuse of a young woman.

His brother, King Charles III, in a statement confirmed the arrest. The Thames Valley Police said in a statement that it had “arrested a man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office and are carrying out searches at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk.”

As is policy under British law, the police did not name the suspect, but the details provided in the police report match what is known about the public misconduct allegations. The police were seen on Thursday morning at the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, England, where Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor is living.

The arrest underscored a striking contrast in the official responses to the Epstein files. The British authorities have moved aggressively to investigate the possibility of crimes emerging from the three million pages of correspondence with Mr. Epstein, while police in the United States have not.

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[Ocelot II]

1. I am imagining a Monty Python skit...

"What's all this, then?"

[LetMyPeopleVote]

2. Statement from King Charles

[dalton99a]

3. +1

[LetMyPeopleVote]

4. MaddowBlog-Former Prince Andrew's arrest, Yoon Suk Yeol's sentence and the power of accountability

In many democracies, criminal suspects are often held accountable — even if they’re politically powerful, even if they’ve served at the highest levels.

In rapid succession:
- former British royal arrested
- former Korean president sentenced
- former Norwegian PM charged
- former French and Brazilian presidents imprisoned

And then there’s Trump and the Republican-appointed justices on the U.S. Supreme Court.
www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-02-19T13:49:49.711Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/former-prince-andrews-arrest-yoon-suk-yeols-sentence-and-the-power-of-accountability

But by any fair measure, the most dramatic development to date is the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, better known as the United Kingdom’s former Prince Andrew. The Thames Valley Police took the former royal into custody on Thursday morning on suspicion of misconduct in public office. While the specific details of the criminal allegations are not yet known, BBC News reported that the arrest “comes after Thames Valley Police said they were assessing a complaint over the alleged sharing of confidential material by the former prince” with the late sex offender....

Indeed, right around the time the world was learning of the former prince’s arrest, the public also learned that former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to life imprisonment, having been convicted of overseeing a 2024 insurrection attempt that sparked a constitutional crisis in the country.

One week earlier, former Norwegian Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland was charged with “gross corruption” over his Epstein ties......

In stable, advanced democracies around the globe, it’s not uncommon to see governments hold criminal suspects accountable — even if they’re politically powerful, and even if they served at the highest levels.

Italy prosecuted a former prime minister. France prosecuted a former prime minister, in addition to Sarkozy. South Africa prosecuted a former president. South Korea prosecuted a former president before sending a different former president to prison. Israel has prosecuted more than one former prime minister. Germany prosecuted a former president. Portugal prosecuted a former prime minister. Croatia prosecuted a former prime minister. Argentina prosecuted a former president. Austria prosecuted a former chancellor. Pakistan prosecuted a former prime minister.......

And then there’s the United States, where Republican-appointed Supreme Court justices ruled in 2024 that Donald Trump, at the time a former president, was immune from prosecution for any possible crimes he might have committed while carrying out his duties. (Trump is also shielded from legal accountability during his tenure in the White House under existing Justice Department policy.)

In other words, we’ve reached a point at which British authorities can hold the king’s brother accountable, but American authorities are out of luck when it comes to Trump, no matter how much evidence they’ve compiled documenting the Republican’s alleged felonies.

[dalton99a]

5. The United States Department of Justice belongs to Donald Trump

[LetMyPeopleVote]

6. The family of Virginia Giuffre have released a statement following the arrest of Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

Link to tweet