The charges reportedly stem from Andrew providing information he obtained as the UK’s special representative for international trade and investment to Jeffrey Epstein and others.
WASHINGTON – It wasn’t Jeffrey Epstein’s illicit past that led to the surprising arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on February 19th. The former prince was accused of leaking confidential information to a convicted sex offender.
Former Prince Andrew could be in serious legal jeopardy as British authorities reportedly pursue him for alleged misconduct while in office. The charges relate to information leaks during Mr Andrew’s time as UK trade envoy.
The arrest, the first of its kind in modern times, raises questions about the British government’s handling of classified information, its oversight of the role of the semi-official royal family, and the long relationship between Mr. Andrew and Mr. Epstein.
British media reported that Andrew was arrested at the age of 66.th Birthday – Named after his role as the UK’s Special Representative for International Trade and Investment from 2001 to 2011.
Epstein, accused of overseeing a global sex trafficking network, died by suicide in a Manhattan prison in 2019 while awaiting trial. (He previously pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution.) His close aide Ghislaine Maxwell, the daughter of British publisher Robert Maxwell and a frequent associate of Mountbatten-Windsor, was also convicted of similar charges and is serving a 20-year sentence in a US federal prison.
The former prince has strongly denied any wrongdoing, particularly in relation to long-standing allegations that he dated young women and even underage girls supplied by Epstein and Maxwell.
Thames Valley Police, who arrested Andrew, said they would not comment on the ongoing investigation, including what charges he may be facing, saying only that they had arrested “a man in his 60s from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in a public office”.
Andrew lives at Wood Farm on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, England. The possibility of a case being brought against him for official misconduct does not change his potential legal liability for sex-related crimes.
Andrew was released from custody late on February 19 and remains “under investigation”, Thames Valley Police said, and arrested him while he was staying at King Charles’ private property, Sandringham.
Special Envoy for International Trade and Investment
Andrew’s arrest follows the recent release by the US Department of Justice of millions of Epstein-related documents, including previously private communications between Andrew and Epstein and others.
The documents show that Andrew is suspected of leaking to Epstein confidential information about Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and luxury sports car maker Aston Martin, as well as government reports from his visits to Vietnam, Singapore and China, the BBC reported, citing recently released files.
On Christmas Eve 2010, another email appears to have been sent to Epstein with a confidential outline of investment opportunities in the reconstruction of Afghanistan’s Helmand province.
“I am attaching a confidential brief prepared by the Provincial Recovery Team of Helmand Province for International Investment Opportunities. These are not specific to Helmand Province, but primarily focused on that province. I intend to offer this elsewhere in my network (including Abu Dhabi), but I am very interested in your comments, views, and ideas about who I can show this to and generate interest. Sadly, I have already learned that the Gates Foundation is not doing anything in the country” in Afghanistan. ”
The email is signed “His Royal Highness KG, Duke of York”.
‘air miles andy‘ Travel the world on the British taxpayer’s dime
Andrew, then the Duke of York, traveled the world in his role as British Trade Minister, enjoying what the BBC called “privileged access to senior government officials and business people around the world.”
His frequent travels, funded by British taxpayers, earned him the title “Air Miles Andy” by the British media.
Citing official guidance, the BBC said such British trade envoys have a duty of confidentiality regarding sensitive, commercial and political information relating to official visits.
This led to a new review by the British authorities, and public calls for an active investigation by the British authorities grew louder.
The BBC and other British media said that before Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest, Thames Valley police had spoken with experts from the Crown Prosecution Service, the main public authority responsible for prosecuting criminals in England and Wales, about allegations that Mountbatten-Windsor shared confidential reports from his role as Britain’s trade envoy with Epstein and others.
King Charles’ younger brother Andrew stepped down from senior royal roles in 2019. He was disqualified from military and charity status in January 2022. And Buckingham Palace said in a statement on October 30, 2025, that Andrew would be stripped of his royal style, titles and honors. He is no longer a prince and is now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
“Government investigation into how this happened.”
The latest Epstein files released by the Department of Justice do not appear to have provided Andrew with any sensitive information that could have jeopardized the national security of the United Kingdom or the United States.
Still, allegations that Mr. Andrew leaked such information, particularly to someone suspected of running an ongoing criminal enterprise at the time, have become a politically explosive issue in Britain.
If Mr Andrew did in fact leak such information, it was “totally unacceptable”, Sir Vince Cable told the BBC on February 15, calling for a criminal investigation.
Mr Cable, who was secretary of state for business and trade while Mr Andrew was trade envoy, said: “There needs to be an investigation into whether there was any criminal corruption, either by the police or the DPP (prosecutor general), and a government inquiry into how this was allowed to happen.”
U.S. legal experts also said Andrew faced potentially serious legal jeopardy.
“Sharing sensitive government information outside of official channels is a significant national security risk,” said Jake Brown, a former White House official under President Barack Obama and a senior Department of Homeland Security official. “The insider threat, or misuse of authorized access, remains one of the most significant vulnerabilities facing governments.”
“Trade negotiations and diplomatic strategy involve sensitive economic information that can shape markets, alliances, and geopolitical influence,” said Brown, currently executive director of the Cyber Policy Initiative at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. “When a senior official entrusted with that information improperly discloses that information, it erodes trust, weakens bargaining power, and creates the potential for abuse.”
