Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrested for links to Jeffrey Epstein
According to multiple British news sources, former Prince Andrew has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public life.
There are many references in Epstein’s files to the former Prince Andrew, now Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, some of which soar to the top of the mountain. They include photos of young women and King Charles III’s brother whose faces have been edited by federal prosecutors, emails showing a longtime friendship with the disgraced investor, and law enforcement concerns that he is not cooperating with ongoing investigations.
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor, 66, who has been known since being stripped of his title and most of his royal duties last fall, is facing intense scrutiny over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. He has denied any wrongdoing and said he regrets their friendship.
More than 3 million pages of documents released by the Justice Department in response to a near-unanimous transparency mandate by Congress show that the former prince was in regular contact with his money manager more than two years after Epstein pleaded guilty to sex crimes in Florida. The Justice Department acknowledged there are an additional 3 million pages of documents it does not plan to release.
According to multiple British media outlets, British police arrested the former prince on February 19 on suspicion of misconduct in public life. British police announced earlier this month that they were investigating allegations that the king’s brother passed confidential government documents to Epstein.
What images of former Prince Andrew are included in Epstein’s files?
Photos released by the Department of Justice on January 30 show Mountbatten-Windsor bending down to touch the clothed woman’s waist and stomach as she lies face up on the floor. In the second photo, he is on his hands and knees, crouched over the woman, his face edited out.
The set of historical files created by the Justice Department on Dec. 19 also includes a former royal file with Ghislaine Maxwell, an Epstein aide who is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking. The image shows Mr Mountbatten-Windsor, wearing a suit, lying on his side on the laps of five women, his face obscured by Justice Department officials. Maxwell stands behind them, smiling.
As with other items in the document release, the Justice Department did not provide context for the photos, such as when or where they were taken.
“Invisible Man” seeks “new inappropriate friend”
Thousands of pages of documents released on December 23, 2025, include a 2001 email exchange from a person using the alias “The Invisible Man” who wrote to Maxwell, an associate of Epstein’s, “I am at the Balmoral summer camp for the royal family” and signed it with an “A.”
Balmoral was the beloved summer residence of Queen Elizabeth II of Scotland and a gathering place for royal retreats.
“How is LA?” the email reads. “Have you found a new inappropriate friend? I’m free from August 25th to September 2nd and I’d like to go somewhere hot and sunny with some fun people before I get serious about fall. Please let me know when you’ll be coming. Ideas appreciated!”
“See ya A xxx,” the email concludes. The files do not confirm whether the “invisible man” is Mr Mountbatten-Windsor. Other emails forwarded to “The Invisible Man” refer to him as “Andrew.”
Another email from 2002, marked “Gx,” shows Maxwell frequently signing emails in the file, writing to another person, “I just gave Andrew your phone number,” and asking that person to set up a trip to Peru. Gx expects to receive a call from a “very British gentleman” who wants them to “show them a great time” and “be friendly, discreet and fun, and only introduce them to trusted friends.” This email was forwarded by “Gx” to “The Invisible Man”, who replied, “Okay, I’ll call you today if I can.”
Communication with law enforcement agencies
Documents dated April 2020 and released on December 23, 2025, show that the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and the FBI sought to interview Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor because the ongoing Epstein investigation “revealed that Prince Andrew may have been a witness and/or participant in certain events related to the ongoing investigation.”
However, the document states that he is “not the subject of any investigation at this time, and U.S. authorities have so far not collected evidence that he has committed any crimes under U.S. law.”
Another series of emails shows that U.S. diplomatic and law enforcement officials were baffled by Mountbatten-Windsor’s continued refusal to cooperate with the criminal investigation against Maxwell in August 2021. British authorities wanted to know if he had become a suspect rather than a witness.
In a series of emails dated Aug. 24, 2021, which were also published on Jan. 30, U.S. embassy officials in London discussed how to respond to British government inquiries with embassy officials in Washington. Mountbatten-Windsor had been publicly accused. in a civil lawsuit alleging he dated at least one girl. He was trafficked by Epstein.
At the time of the 2021 embassy email, Maxwell had been charged with sex trafficking, and Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre had just filed a civil lawsuit against Mountbatten-Windsor. Her civil suit was settled for an undisclosed amount in February 2022, and the then-prince made a significant donation to her charity.
“We are aware that a civil lawsuit has been filed in New York against a key witness in connection with the Epstein investigation,” a British government official said in an inquiry to the U.S. embassy, which was also shared by embassy staff. “Please let me know how this impacts the current status of material witnesses as witnesses in relation to criminal investigations and MLA requests.”
“I think they are asking whether, in light of the recent allegations, Andrew has ‘become a suspect rather than a witness (in British parlance),” said an anonymous US embassy official, apparently the Justice Department attaché in London. “I was going to give a one-word answer of ‘none,’ but I thought I should check first. … The ambassador is keen to resolve this issue, so the sooner the better.”
“The Amb” refers to the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom at the time. An MLA is a request under the U.S.-UK Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty for the collection of evidence, exchange of information, and service of documents related to a criminal investigation or prosecution.
Contributors: Brendan Morrow, Josh Meyer, Taijuan Moorman, Anthony Robledo
