On his 66th birthday, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor found himself at the center of a dramatic and historic moment for the British royal family. In a series of striking images that quickly spread across the media, he was seen being apprehended by UK police—a scene unprecedented in the modern era of the monarchy.

The former prince was taken into custody, where he spent ten hours being questioned by authorities on suspicions of misconduct in public office. Despite the intense scrutiny, he emerged from the police station later that day without any charges being filed against him. Throughout this ordeal, Mountbatten-Windsor has steadfastly maintained his innocence, particularly regarding his controversial connections to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was a convicted pedophile.

Previously, law enforcement officials had disclosed that they were examining allegations suggesting the former prince might have improperly shared confidential information. This inquiry is linked to his tenure as the UK’s trade envoy from 2001 to 2011, a role that granted him exclusive access to high-level government and business contacts, along with the responsibility to safeguard sensitive information.

The controversy stems from a 2010 incident where Andrew is alleged to have sent government reports from official visits to countries such as Vietnam, Singapore, and China to Epstein. This claim has been supported by documents released by the US Justice Department, which were part of their investigation into Epstein, as reported by the BBC.

The former Duke of York served as the UK’s trade envoy between 2001 and 2011, during which he had privileged access to senior government and business contacts and had a duty of confidentiality over sensitive information.

In 2010, Andrew appears to have forwarded government reports from visits to Vietnam, Singapore and China to Epstein, files released by the US justice department in relation to an investigation into Epstein, the BBC has reported.

The documents also appear to show Andrew forwarded information on investment opportunities in Afghanistan to Epstein, according to the BBC.

Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest is the climax of years of scrutiny and criticism over his connections to Epstein.

From soldier to trade envoy

Mountbatten-Windsor is the third child and second son of the late Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, after his elder brother, King Charles, and sister, Princess Anne.

Away from the high expectation that Charles had to carry as the potential future king through childhood, Mountbatten-Windsor had been reportedly enjoying a close relationship with the Queen and was reportedly the favourite child.

He followed the traditional route for younger royal sons and joined military service, where he served in the Royal Navy for 22 years. During the 1982 Falklands War, he served as a helicopter pilot and participated in combat operations.

In 2001, Mountbatten-Windsor was appointed as Britain’s special representative for international trade and investment, which led to frequent taxpayer-funded travel — the media nicknaming him “Air Miles Andy”.

The fall of a prince

Once a subject of media fascination for his love life, Mountbatten-Windsor was also a regular source of headlines — namely for his financial issues and links to questionable characters, including Epstein.

In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Mountbatten-Windsor was pressured to step down from his trade role over his friendship with Epstein, and in 2011 was forced to give up the position.

In 2015, in US court documents, Mountbatten-Windsor was alleged to have had sex with a woman three times between 1999 and 2002 in London, New York and on Epstein’s private Caribbean island. The woman was a minor under US law, and later identified as Virginia Giuffre.

After Epstein was arrested again in 2019 over charges including the sex trafficking of minors, Mountbatten-Windsor gave a highly-viewed and controversial interview to the BBC, in which he drew heavy criticism for failing to show empathy for Epstein’s victims.

He said a photograph of him and Giuffre could have been a fake and addressed why he had stayed at Epstein’s house after his first conviction for sex offences.

“It was a convenient place to stay. I mean I’ve gone through this in my mind so many times. At the end of the day, with a benefit of all the hindsight that one can have, it was definitely the wrong thing to do,” he said.

“But at the time I felt it was the honourable and right thing to do and I admit fully that my judgement was probably coloured by my tendency to be too honourable but that’s just the way it is.”

Following the backlash to the interviews, he later announced that he was giving up public duties and charity roles “for the foreseeable future”.

In August 2021, Mountbatten-Windsor was sued in a New York court by Giuffre, who alleged the former prince had sex with her when she was 17. Mountbatten-Windsor denied any allegations and said he had never met her. The case was settled for an undisclosed sum.

Mountbatten-Windsor acknowledged Giuffre’s suffering as a victim of sex trafficking. He was also stripped of all military affiliations and royal charity work.

Giuffre died by suicide in Australia in April 2025, aged 41.

How the Epstein files connected to Andrew’s arrest

Last November, the US Congress approved the Epstein Files Transparency Act, followed by a bill signed by President Donald Trump that ordered the justice department to release the files it took during the criminal investigation into Epstein.

Among the collections were emails that showed Mountbatten-Windsor remained in contact with Epstein longer than he previously claimed. In the 2019 BBC interview, the former prince said he hadn’t seen or spoken to him since December 2010, but emails show they spoke in 2011.

Late last year, King Charles announced he would strip all royal titles of his younger brother Mountbatten-Windsor, and he was forced to vacate the Royal Lodge by the end of 2025.

In early February, British police revealed they were assessing reports about Mountbatten-Windsor sending official UK trade documents to Epstein.

On the same day, the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Catherine, issued a statement that said the couple “have been deeply concerned by the continuing revelations” regarding Epstein.

Thames Valley Police, which conducted the arrest of Mountbatten-Windsor, confirmed they alerted the UK Home Office ahead of the arrest.

In a statement, King Charles said the authorities had the family’s “full and wholehearted support and cooperation”.

— With additional reporting by the Australian Associated Press.

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