Prince Andrew Arrested At Secluded Cottage Amid Epstein Files Scandal

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor found himself in custody on the day he turned 66 years old.

The younger brother of King Charles was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office after police were seen swarming his Sandringham home on Thursday.

The ex-prince is now the first senior royal in modern history ever to be arrested.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office on his 66th birthday 

Image credits: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

On his 66th birthday, at least six unmarked Thames Valley Police cars and around eight plain-clothed officers showed up at the Wood Farm, his home on the Sandringham estate, on Thursday morning.

Reports said one of the cars arrived at Andrew’s five-bedroom farmhouse through the front drive while five others entered from the back entrance.

Image credits: Martin Pope/Getty Images

About half an hour later, one unmarked police car left and was followed by another. A third vehicle, believed to contain Andrew’s security, also followed.

Investigators also reportedly raided his other royal residences in Berkshire and Norfolk.

The ex-Prince became the first senior royal in modern history to be arrested

Image credits: Karwai Tang/Getty Images

The police force previously said they were reviewing claims about Andrew allegedly sharing sensitive information with his billionaire pal and convicted offender Jeffrey Epstein when he was a UK trade envoy.

ADVERTISEMENT

They also confirmed that they were separately conducting a probe into allegations of a woman being trafficked to the UK by Jeffrey to engage in a s**ual encounter with the former prince.

Andrew, who is the third child of the late Queen Elizabeth II, has repeatedly denied the allegations.

Image credits: Department of Justice

“As part of the investigation, we have today (19/2) 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,” the Thames Valley police said in a statement.

In the UK, it is standard procedure for law enforcement agencies to refrain from naming arrested people until they are formally charged with an offence.

“The man remains in police custody at this time,” the statement continued. “We will not be naming the arrested man, as per national guidance.”

Image credits: Davidoff Studios/Getty Images

ADVERTISEMENT

Andrew was stripped of his royal titles last year in light of the Epstein scandal.

The former Duke of York was known as Prince Andrew for most of his life and was often hailed as Queen Elizabeth’s favorite son.

During his young military days, he was often labelled the “Playboy Prince” or “Randy Andy” by the British press over his reported conquests.

He served as UK trade envoy under former prime minister Tony Blair in the 2000s, but he was at the center of heated scandals over his relationship with controversial figures as well as his handling of finances.

Image credits: Department of Justice

Details about his links to Jeffrey came to light following the disgraced financier’s 2019 arrest.

Virginia Giuffre, one of Jeffrey’s most vocal victims, accused Andrew of s**xually ab*sing her when she was a teen.

She claimed Andrew acted “entitled – as if he believed having s*x with [her] was his birthright,” she wrote in her memoir Nobody’s Girl, published about six months after she took her own life last year.

Image credits: Rasid Necati Aslim/Getty Images

ADVERTISEMENT

Image credits: Department of Justice

Netizens had plenty to say following the arrest, with one saying, “I’d stay clear of any tunnels if I was him.”

“Lets [sic] the purge begin,” one commented online, while another said, “All he wanted was a pair of handcuffs for he’s [sic] birthday.”

“Jail time? I doubt it,” said another.

If you or someone you know is struggling with self-harm or s**c*dal ideation, help is available: International Hotlines

“Arrested is not the same as convicted but it’s a start,” one commented online

ADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENT