FORMER PRINCE ANDREW CHALLENGES LEGALITY OF POLICE SEARCHES IN EPSTEIN PROBE

Mon 05 October 2026:

Former Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has taken legal action against Thames Valley Police, contesting the legality of the search warrants used in his arrest earlier this year, a judicial spokesperson said.

A closed High Court hearing is scheduled for Thursday before Justice Hilliard to decide whether papers from Mountbatten-Windsor’s judicial review application can be released publicly, British media reported.

Thames Valley Police is opposing the release of the documents.

The legal challenge stems from warrants issued by an Old Bailey judge that enabled police to search Mountbatten-Windsor’s residence on the Sandringham estate and his former home, Royal Lodge in Windsor, in February.

Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on Feb. 19 on suspicion of misconduct related to the sharing of confidential material with Epstein, who amassed a fortune as a financier before being convicted over sex crimes and dying in jail in 2019.

Mountbatten-Windsor was interviewed under caution and subsequently released while the investigation continued.

A High Court judge later granted Mountbatten-Windsor permission to challenge the legality of the police force’s actions in relation to the searches.

According to the Daily Telegraph, it is the first time a member of the royal family has challenged the lawfulness of criminal proceedings against them since the trial of King Charles I in 1649.

Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied wrongdoing in connection with his association with Epstein and rejected claims of personal gain linked to his trade role.

According to files released in January, Andrew sent Epstein details of his upcoming official trips as trade envoy to Singapore, Vietnam, the Chinese city of Shenzhen, and Hong Kong in October 2010, and the following month apparently shared official reports from the trips.

Thames Valley Police confirmed that its investigation remains ongoing.

“Whilst our investigation into misconduct in public office continues, we are engaged in legal proceedings in relation to warrants previously obtained from the central criminal court. As these legal proceedings are currently ongoing, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further,” a spokesperson for the force that carried out the arrest told the BBC.

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Prince Andrew, the brother of King Charles III, had a long social relationship with Jeffrey Epstein that became a major scandal.

They were introduced in the 1990s by Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s associate and later convicted sex trafficker. Andrew visited Epstein’s homes in New York, Florida, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Epstein attended events at royal properties. The friendship continued after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor; Andrew was photographed walking with him in Central Park in 2010 and stayed at Epstein’s Manhattan mansion.

Virginia Giuffre alleged that, at 17, she was trafficked by Epstein and Maxwell and forced to have sex with Andrew on three occasions in 2001. A widely published photo shows Andrew with his arm around her, Maxwell beside them. Andrew has always denied the claims, saying he had no recollection of meeting her and offering alibis that were widely challenged.

A 2019 BBC interview in which he defended the friendship and denied wrongdoing drew heavy criticism. In 2022 he settled Giuffre’s U.S. civil lawsuit for a reported sum in the millions, with no admission of liability. He was stripped of military titles and royal patronages, and later stopped using the style His Royal Highness. The association remains one of the most damaging episodes linked to the modern royal family.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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