The disgraced former Prince Andrew was recently taken in by the police for his alleged links with late financier and trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. He was arrested at his Sandringham property on Thursday, February 19, 2026, for misconduct in a public office, a serious offence that could result in a prolonged sentence.
When the police arrived at Norfolk, another team pulled up at Royal Lodge, 140 miles away in Windsor Great Park, where Andrew lived until weeks ago.
The police had two options under the United Kingdom protocol. Either charge him within 24 hours or release him under investigation. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was seen attempting to avoid the flashes of cameras while leaving the Aylsham police station after almost 11 hours of gruelling interrogation.
Reports suggest that authorities obtained fingerprints, then photographed and swabbed him for DNA.
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On the day of his arrest, the ex-Prince had just woken up when cops swooped in for a surprise visit. According to an insider, the Thames Valley Police officers were accompanied by Norfolk Police, and they arrived with “stealth, speed and surprise.”
A friend revealed that Andrew was allegedly planning to spend his birthday with his pets before being arrested.
“The plan was to spend a quiet and lonely 66th birthday at Wood Farm as no one was coming round to celebrate with him, not even Fergie or their two children Beatrice and Eugenie,” they said.
“He was expecting to spend the day with seven dogs, instead he had 15 coppers at his door,” the friend added.
The royal was reportedly grilled by the police over his name appearing in the Epstein-related documents released by the Department of Justice.
It is suspected that when Andrew was appointed as the trade envoy for the UK, he allegedly shared confidential information with his trafficker pal, who was already a convict at the time.
Cops had also previously confirmed they were separately examining claims that a woman was trafficked to the UK by Epstein as s—– favor for ex-Prince Andrew.
However, it appears that his confrontation with the investigators was far from being over. On Friday morning, cops pulled up into Royal Lodge to conduct a second raid of Andrew’s temporary home, Wood Farm, the US Sun reported.
Breaking News: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, was arrested in Britain on suspicion of misconduct in public office over his links to Jeffrey Epstein, the BBC said. https://t.co/3baFxnXXkB
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 19, 2026
Experts think the investigators will now examine the devices taken from the ex-royal’s home, such as phones and laptops.
At least nine forces across the UK are thoroughly investigating the allegations against Andrew. King Charles III, who stripped his brother of his royal titles last year, was reportedly not informed about his brother’s arrest in advance.
Following his arrest, the King released a statement offering his cooperation with the police. “The law must take its course,” he commented.
President Trump also commented on Andrew’s arrest. “I think it’s a shame. I think it’s sad. I think it’s bad for the Royal Family,” he stated.
