LONDON: Police continued on Friday to search the former home of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, a day after the former prince was held in custody for the best part of 11 hours on suspicion of misconduct in public office linked to his friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Following one of the most tumultuous days in the modern history of Britain's royal family, the former Prince Andrew is back at his new home on the Sandringham estate, King Charles III 's private retreat, which is around 115 miles (185 kilometers) north of London.
Police have concluded their search there but are still searching Royal Lodge, his 30-room former home in the grounds of Windsor Castle, just west of the capital.
Mountbatten-Windsor, who was pictured slouched in the back of his chauffeur-driven car following his release on Thursday evening, remains under investigation, which means he has neither been charged nor exonerated by Thames Valley Police, the force responsible for areas west of London.
Arrest was years in the making
His arrest follows years of allegations over his links with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York prison in 2019.
The accusation at the heart of his arrest is that Mountbatten-Windsor — who was known as Prince Andrew until October when his brother stripped him of his titles and honors — shared confidential trade information with the disgraced financier when he was a trade envoy for the UK.
Specifically, emails released last month by the US Department of Justice appeared to show Mountbatten-Windsor sharing reports of official visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore.
One, dated November 2010, appeared to be forwarded by Andrew five minutes after he had received it. Another a few weeks later appeared to show him sending Epstein a confidential brief on investment opportunities in the reconstruction of Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
Other police forces in the UK are also conducting their own investigations into Mountbatten-Windsor's Epstein-related links.
Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied any wrongdoing in his association with Epstein but has not commented on the most recent allegations that have emerged with the release of the so-called Epstein files.
Arrest was sudden, investigation will take time
Police swept into the grounds of Mountbatten-Windsor's home to arrest him at 8 am Thursday — his 66th birthday — before taking him to a nearby police station for questioning. It's not known what he told them. He may have said nothing, or "no comment," as is his right.
Experts said that misconduct in a public office is notoriously difficult to prove. "Firstly, it must be determined if Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was in a role within government that constitutes the title of public officer," said Sean Caulfield, a criminal defense lawyer at Hodge Jones & Allen.
"There is no standard definition to clearly draw on."
The Crown Prosecution Service will ultimately make a decision about charging him.
Andrew Gilmore, a partner at Grosvenor Law, said that prosecutors will apply the two-stage test known as the "Code for Crown Prosecutors."
"That test is to determine whether there is a more realistic prospect of a conviction than not based on the evidence and whether the matter is in the public interest," he said. "If these two tests are met, then the matter will be charged and proceed to court."
Arrest is not just unusual, it's historic
Mountbatten-Windsor was the first royal since King Charles I nearly four centuries ago to be placed under arrest. That turned into a seismic moment in British history, leading to civil war, Charles' beheading and the temporary abolition of the monarchy.
His arrest is undoubtedly one of the gravest crises to affect the House of Windsor since its establishment more than 100 years ago. Arguably, only the abdication of King Edward VIII in 1936 and the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997 have been as grave for the institution of the British monarchy in modern times.
For the king, it's business as usual
Though the king and the royal family will carry out their normal duties as normal, the questions surrounding Mountbatten-Windsor will continue, not least because the investigations are likely to take time.
In a statement Thursday, the king said the "law must take its course,'' but that as "this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter.''
The allegations are not related to Epstein's sex trafficking
The allegations being investigated Thursday are separate from those made by Virginia Giuffre, who claimed she was trafficked to Britain to have sex with the prince in 2001, when she was just 17. Giuffre died by suicide last year.
Still, Giuffre's sister-in-law Amanda Roberts said that she was overjoyed when she got a phone call at 3 am telling her the news of the arrest. But those feelings of elation were quickly complicated by the realization that she couldn't share the feelings of "vindication" with Giuffre.
"We can't tell her how much we love her, and that everything that she was doing is not in vain," Roberts added tearfully.
