What's happening now
• Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the younger brother of King Charles III, has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Police have not said what led to the arrest, but Andrew spent a decade as UK trade envoy.
• King Charles III said he learned of the arrest “with the deepest concern” and stressed that “the law must take its course.” Andrew is the first senior British royal to be arrested in nearly 400 years.
• Police previously said they were reviewing claims that Andrew shared sensitive information with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein while serving as envoy.
• The former prince has denied all accusations against him and insisted he never witnessed or suspected any of the behavior of which Epstein is accused. He has not commented publicly on these more recent allegations of misconduct in public office.
British journalist who interviewed former Prince Andrew “stunned” by arrest
A British journalist told CNN that the arrest of the former Prince Andrew is “unprecedented,” after he became the first senior royal to be apprehended by police in modern history.
Emily Maitlis, the reporter who pressed the former prince about the depth of his relationship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in a revelatory 2019 TV interview, said, “I’m absolutely stunned by what we’re seeing today.
Maitlis asked Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor why he maintained his relationship with Epstein, including after September 2009, when Epstein was released from prison having pled guilty to child prostitution charges, in a seismic BBC interview several years ago.
Andrew has not commented publicly on his arrest today on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He has denied all previous accusations against him and insisted he never witnessed or suspected any of the behavior of which Epstein is accused.
Soon after Andrew’s arrest Thursday, King Charles III, his brother, emphasized “the law must take its course.”
Just in October, Charles stripped his brother of his title as prince and cast him out of the Windsor estate, in what Maitlis cast as a “seminal moment.”
“King Charles was indicating six months ago that no one is above the law,” she added.
Andrew will likely be bailed while investigators gather evidence, British solicitor says
The complexity of the case involving the former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor — and the amount of potential evidence, including the Epstein files and any witnesses — suggest that a charging decision within Andrew’s initial custody period is unlikely, British solicitor Chloe Jay told CNN’s Zain Asher.
In the UK, arrests can be made with reasonable suspicion of an offense, and many arrests do not lead to prosecution, she explained.
Andrew is likely to be questioned as part of his time in custody, and he could put forward “things that he would like the police to look at,” Jay said, including potential witnesses or explanations, which the police then have a duty to explore as evidence.
In photos: British police search Royal Lodge
Police in the UK began searching two royal addresses Thursday, after they arrested the country’s former Prince Andrew on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Officers were seen patrolling the gates of Royal Lodge, Andrew’s former residence in Windsor, early today local time. Separately, authorities were also searching Wood Farm, his home on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, in eastern England.
Police have not publicly said what led to the arrest, but Andrew held post as UK trade envoy from 2001 to 2011. The royal was in contact with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during his tenure, according to documents published by the US Department of Justice last month.
See as King Charles refuses to answers reporters' questions on brother's arrest
King Charles shrugged off questions from journalists about his brother as he made a public appearance at London Fashion Week on Thursday afternoon, just hours after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested at his home in Sandringham.
A large crowd gathered outside the venue for London Fashion Week’s opening show where the King was already scheduled to put in an appearance.
A CNN team filmed as King Charles stepped out of his vehicle and declined to respond to questions shouted by reporters.
His appearance proved the King was carrying on with his planned schedule, despite this morning’s developments, which saw plain clothes police officers arrest Mountbatten-Windsor on suspicion of “public misconduct,” a moment many are viewing as a watershed moment for the Royal Family.
Once inside the venue, King Charles was seen enjoying the show with a front-row seat, showing no visible signs of the dramatic events that had rocked his family.
Earlier, the King put out a statement addressing the arrest of Mountbatten-Windsor, saying he learned about it “with the deepest concern” and stressed that “the law must take its course.”
Attorney for Epstein's victims says arrest may "restore faith for those who believed justice was unreachable"
Spencer T. Kuvin, an attorney for Jeffrey Epstein’s victims, said Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest may “restore some faith for those who believed justice was unreachable.”
Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, Thames Valley Police said earlier today. The force did not say what led to the arrest but had previously said it is assessing whether the former prince shared confidential material with Epstein during his time as UK trade envoy.
“Victims of abuse often face disbelief and backlash,” said Kuvin, adding that the legal process must remain “centered on survivors’ dignity regardless of the fame, power or wealth of a potential perpetrator.”
The former prince has not commented publicly on the more recent allegations of misconduct in public office that emerged after the latest DOJ releases. He has denied any accusations against him and insisted he never witnessed or suspected any of the behavior of which Epstein is accused.
Andrew is the first senior British royal to be arrested since Charles I — almost 400 years ago
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is believed to be the first senior British royal to be arrested since King Charles I, the monarch who led the Royalists to defeat at the hands of the Parliamentarians in England’s civil wars in the mid-17th century.
After the First Civil War ended, Charles I was placed under house arrest in 1647 by Oliver Cromwell, the leader of the Parliamentarians, at Hampton Court Palace in London. Charles famously escaped, but was soon recaptured.
He spent more than a year as a prisoner on the Isle of Wight, off England’s southern coast, as the two sides tried — and failed — to reach a political settlement.
After the brief Second Civil War, the Parliamentarians put Charles on trial in 1649 for treason against England, accusing him of pursuing his personal interest above the “liberty, justice, and peace of the people of this nation.” Charles was found guilty and executed, marking the first time a reigning monarch had been tried and executed by his subjects.
England lived without a monarch for the next 11 years, before inviting Charles II — Charles I’s son — back from France to restore the Stuart throne.
Number of US lawmakers speak out on Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest
A growing number of US lawmakers have spoken out about the arrest of the UK’s former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor this morning.
“Great Britain is holding its powerful and privileged to account. The United States of America should do the same,” Democratic Rep. Jake Auchincloss from Massachusetts told CNN’s Kate Bolduan.
His colleague from Massachusetts, Rep. Stephen Lynch, a Democrat and member of the House Oversight Committee, told CNN today’s arrest offers “a great contrast.”
“Look what the British government is doing in light of the evidence, and look what the United States government is doing. Nothing,” Lynch told CNN’s John Berman. “So it is refreshing that that the British government is coming forward … and the king is actually saying, ‘We need to follow the law here.’ I wish our government were doing the same.”
Ro Khana, a Democratic congressman who’s strongly pushed for the Epstein files release, shared a post on X this morning, in which he said that he found the “moral clarity” in British society’s response to the Epstein case “inspiring.”
“The British have taken this scandal more seriously than we have,” the post reads. “There is an appreciation in America, among the survivors, me and others in Congress for how the British people are handling this.”
Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene also pointed out the relative lack of accountability in the United States for those with ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
“The UK has arrested Andrew because of the Epstein files and over here the President signed an EO protecting cancer causing Glyphosate in our foods and we have zero Epstein related arrest and investigations since release of the files,” she wrote in a post on X this morning.
As a reminder: The former prince has denied all accusations against him and insisted he never witnessed or suspected any of the behavior of which Epstein is accused. He has not commented publicly on these more recent allegations of misconduct in public office.
What are police doing and where are they searching?
British police typically do not give out the names of people they arrest, or provide details of the addresses they search.
And so shortly after 10 a.m. Thursday morning, Thames Valley Police said they had arrested a man in his 60s from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office, and were carrying out searches at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk.
That man was Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former prince who turned 66 today.
The address in Berkshire, a county west of London, was Royal Lodge at Windsor. The second address was Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, on England’s eastern fringe.
We have since seen police carrying out searches at both Royal Lodge, which had been Mountbatten-Windsor’s home since 2003, and Wood Farm, where he moved earlier this month after being evicted from Windsor by his older brother, King Charles III.
With an investigation ongoing, police are releasing precious little other information about the royal’s arrest. Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested by Thames Valley Police, which covers Berkshire, even though his arrest was made in Sandringham, which is covered by the Norfolk Constabulary. Neither police force would tell CNN whether Andrew was being held in custody in Norfolk or the Thames Valley district.
A police spokesperson at Royal Lodge told Britain’s PA Media today that searches of the royal’s home were ongoing.
Police can hold Mountbatten-Windsor in custody for 24 hours before they must charge him with a crime or release him. If they apply for extensions, they can hold him for up to 96 hours. The former prince has previously denied all accusations against him; he has not commented publicly on these more recent allegations of misconduct in public office.
Speaking prior to Andrew's arrest, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said "nobody is above the law"
“Nobody is above the law.” Those were the unequivocal words from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday morning, speaking before the news of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest.
“In this particular case, we’re talking about [Jeffrey] Epstein, but there are plenty of other cases… anybody who’s got information relating to any aspect of violence against women and girls has, in my view, a duty to come forward, whoever they are,” the prime minister added.
Asked whether Mountbatten-Windsor should voluntarily come forward to the police, Starmer was less definitive, saying: “I think that’s a matter for the police. They will conduct their own investigations.”
The BBC interview was conducted early on Thursday morning – hours before Thames Valley Police announced that they had arrested a man on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Andrew's arrest raises hard questions for Trump about accountability in the US
When Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his royal titles last year, President Donald Trump absorbed the entire situation with a degree of chagrin.
“I feel very badly. It’s a terrible thing that’s happened to the family,” Trump said, without mentioning why King Charles III made the decision in the first place: his brother’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
Instead, Trump allowed his own affinity for the British royal family — and the House of Windsor in particular — guide his response.
“That’s been a tragic situation. It’s too bad,” he said. “I feel badly for the family.”
Trump has yet to weigh in on Andrew’s arrest Thursday. But the arrest only seemed to underscore an uncomfortable reality for the president: Every time someone powerful appears to be held accountable for their role and involvement with Epstein overseas, it raises hard questions about why that isn’t happening in the United States.
Those are questions Trump has refused to answer for. He’s bristled at even the mention of Epstein, and has said the country needs to move on. When his attorney general was asked those questions in congressional testimony last week, she lashed out with personal attacks.
Trump praised Pam Bondi’s appearance, and claimed people “only cared about (Epstein) when they thought he could create Political Harm to a very popular President.”
But when Andrew — the brother of the monarch — is arrested in relation to his relationship with Epstein, it would seem to make those arguments harder and harder to make.
Buckingham Palace was not informed in advance of Andrew’s arrest, royal source says
A royal source told CNN that Buckingham Palace was not given prior warning of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s Thursday morning arrest.
Former British PM says after Mountbatten-Windsor's arrest he submitted further evidence to police
Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has submitted a “five-page memorandum” to relevant police forces regarding the Jeffrey Epstein files, he said after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest.
“This memorandum provides new and additional information to that which I submitted last week to the Met, Essex and Thames Valley police forces where I expressed my concern that we secure justice for trafficked girls and women,” Brown said, per PA Media.
Brown’s statement did not specify the nature of the evidence he submitted or how it was related to Mountbatten-Windsor, who has previously insisted he never witnessed or suspected any of the behavior of which Epstein is accused.
In a piece for the New Statesman last week, Brown, who was Britain’s prime minister from 2007 to 2010, called on London’s Metropolitan Police to “urgently” re-examine claims that Epstein’s victims were trafficked to the UK on private flights flown in and out of London’s Stansted Airport.
King Charles carries out normal royal duties on day of brother's arrest
King Charles III has been carrying out his normal royal duties, meeting with ambassadors from Spain, El Salvador and Kenya on the same day his brother was arrested.
Charles met with the ambassadors at St James’s Palace in London to receive their letters of credence, Buckingham Palace said, formally accepting them as representatives to the UK for their respective countries.
Marjorie Taylor Greene criticizes MAGA after Andrew’s arrest
Marjorie Taylor Greene has responded to the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor by pointing out the relative lack of accountability in the United States for those with ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
“And we are on the verge of going to war against Iran. That’s the current state of MAGA and MAHA,” she added.
Greene was once a vocal cheerleader of US President Donald Trump and his MAGA movement, but in recent months has become one of their fiercest critics.
Police officers searching Andrew's former home at Windsor
Police have been searching Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s former home of Royal Lodge in Windsor, Britain’s PA Media reports.
Video shows uniformed police officers behind the gates of Royal Lodge, where the former prince lived for over 20 years, before he moved to Sandringham in eastern England earlier this month.
Police have also been searching Andrew’s residence in Sandringham, as part of the investigation.
Allegations against Mountbatten-Windsor may jeopardize future of royal family, expert says
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s alleged misconduct and subsequent arrest may jeopardize the future of the monarchy, according to a royal commentator.
Speaking to CNN’s Becky Anderson, Sandro Monetti described the arrest of Mountbatten-Windsor on his 66th birthday as a stark contrast to the “lavish celebration” the former prince has previously expected.
The expert said that the weight of the allegations against Mountbatten-Windsor cast a heavy shadow over the royal family, but particularly over King Charles III’s tenure so far.
Monetti also emphasized the significance of King Charles’ choice to refer to Mountbatten-Windsor by his full name in a statement released by the monarch, rather than describing him as his brother.
“Despite all of the things that have been stripped away from Andrew, I would point out that he is still eighth in line to the throne,” Monetti added, suggesting that calls for this to change may be heard in Parliament in the coming days.
“The actions of which he’s accused put the entire future of the monarchy at risk,” he said.
Prince William and Catherine support King's statement, CNN understands
The Prince and Princess of Wales support the statement made earlier by King Charles III about the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, CNN understands.
Charles said earlier that he learned of his younger brother’s arrest with “deep concern” and stressed that “the law must take its course.”
Earlier this month, a Kensington Palace spokesperson said William and Kate had been “deeply concerned” by the continuing revelations from documents related to Jeffrey Epstein.
Historian expects public to seek more accountability from King and royal family
The British royal family will face a great challenge in separating themselves from Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor following his arrest at Sandringham Estate, according to a royal historian.
“This is so serious,” Kate Williams told CNN’s Becky Anderson.
“The royal family now have a huge problem on their hands, and it’s separating themselves from Andrew,” Williams said.
Williams explained that the royal family’s strategy for managing the bad press that has surrounded Mountbatten-Windsor in recent years has been to deem the former prince a “bad egg,” stripping him of his titles and expelling him from his royal residence.
But the historian expects the public to demand more accountability from the King and the wider family moving forward.
“This is going to be the biggest challenge that the royal family has had on their hands since the death of Diana,” the historian added.
Queen Camilla goes ahead with public engagement hours after Mountbatten-Windsor's arrest
The United Kingdom’s Queen Camilla has gone ahead with a public engagement at a London orchestra concert just hours after police arrested her brother-in-law, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, on Thursday morning.
The Queen is attending a lunchtime concert at Sinfonia Smith Square in London, where she will meet with the orchestra’s musicians as well as a group of schoolchildren who are also performing.
The Queen will also meet staff and supporters of Sinfonia Smith Square Hall, which supports emerging professional musicians, according to a Buckingham Palace statement.
Princess Anne, who is Mountbatten-Windsor’s sister, also has public engagements on Thursday in West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire, in northern England.
The Princess Royal will visit His Majesty’s Prison in Leeds, as part of her work as the patron of the Butler Trust, which promotes good practice in UK prisons.
She will also visit South Tees Occupational Therapy and the charity Carers Plus Yorkshire, which provides support for unpaid carers and veterans.
Anti-monarchy group Republic touts their actions amid Mountbatten-Windsor's arrest
Republic, an organization “committed to the abolition of the monarchy” in the UK, has welcomed the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
“Make no mistake, this is a result of Republic’s action,” Republic’s CEO Graham Smith said, noting the arrest was likely influenced by Republic’s pursuit of a private prosecution of King Charles III’s younger brother.
The allegations of misconduct in public office likely relate to Mountbatten-Windsor’s time as UK trade envoy. Documents released by the US Department of Justice showed that he was in contact with Jeffrey Epstein during his time as envoy. Mountbatten-Windsor has vehemently denied any and all wrongdoing in his dealings with Epstein.
“The police must follow all evidence wherever it leads,” Smith added. “In the meantime Charles and William need to speak up and admit to whatever they have known, when and why they continued to protect Andrew.”
