Former Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the brother of Britain’s head of state King Charles, was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office, The Guardian reported.
Thames Valley Police said that they had arrested “a man in his 60s” on suspicion of misconduct in public office and are carrying out searches at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk.
“We will not be naming the arrested man, as per national guidance,” the police stated. “The man remains in police custody at this time.”
Police have been assessing allegations that he shared sensitive information with Jeffrey Epstein, the American financier and convicted child sex offender, while serving as the United Kingdom’s trade envoy.
Thames Valley Police had earlier said that they were reviewing allegations in the “Epstein files”, including a claim that a woman was trafficked to the United Kingdom by Epstein to have a sexual encounter with Mountbatten-Windsor, The Guardian reported.
The “Epstein files” refer to millions of documents, emails, photos and videos released by the US Department of Justice detailing the activities of Epstein and his social circle that included politicians, celebrities and several public figures.
The latest tranche of documents was released in January. They appeared to show the former prince sharing reports of official visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore, according to The Guardian.
One email dated November 2010 appeared to have been forwarded by Mountbatten-Windsor five minutes after being sent by his then special adviser, Amir Patel, reported the newspaper.
Another, sent on Christmas Eve in 2010, reportedly appeared to share a confidential brief on investment opportunities in the reconstruction of Helmand province in Afghanistan.
After Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest, the British King said he learned of the arrest with “deepest concern” and said that the “law must take its course”, the BBC reported.
“What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities,” Charles was quoted as saying. “In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and co-operation.”
Thursday was the 66th birthday of Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew. He is the first senior royal in modern British history to be arrested.
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