Former Prince Andrew released 11 hours after his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office

LONDON (AP) — The erstwhile Prince Andrew has been released aft his apprehension connected suspicion of misconduct successful nationalist office.

The Thames Valley Police unit said the erstwhile prince was released Thursday evening. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was photographed successful a car leaving the presumption adjacent his location successful eastbound England astir 11 hours aft his arrest.

He was released nether investigation, meaning helium has neither been charged nor exonerated.

Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested aboriginal Thursday astatine his location by detectives investigating his ties to the precocious Jeffrey Epstein. Police said they had finished searching Mountbatten-Windsor’s location but were inactive searching different property.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier communicative follows below.

LONDON (AP) — The erstwhile Prince Andrew was arrested by British constabulary Thursday connected suspicion of misconduct successful nationalist bureau related to his links to Jeffrey Epstein, an bonzer determination successful a state wherever authorities erstwhile sought to shield the royal household from embarrassment.

It was the archetypal clip successful astir 4 centuries that a elder British royal was placed nether arrest, and it underscored however deference to the monarchy has eroded successful caller years.

King Charles III, whose precocious parent lived by the motto “never complain, ne'er explain,” took the antithetic measurement of issuing a connection connected the apprehension of his brother, present known arsenic Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

“Let maine authorities clearly: the instrumentality indispensable instrumentality its course,’’ the king said. “As this process continues, it would not beryllium close for maine to remark further connected this matter.’’

The Thames Valley Police force, which covers areas westbound of London, including Mountbatten-Windsor’s erstwhile home, said Thursday that a antheral successful his 60s, who is from Norfolk successful eastbound England, had been arrested and was successful custody. Police did not place the suspect, successful enactment with modular procedures successful Britain.

Mountbatten-Windsor, 66, moved to the king’s backstage property successful Norfolk aft helium was evicted from his longtime location adjacent Windsor Castle earlier this month.

Police antecedently said they were “assessing” reports that Mountbatten-Windsor sent commercialized accusation to Epstein, a affluent capitalist and convicted enactment offender, successful 2010, erstwhile the erstwhile prince was Britain’s peculiar envoy for planetary trade. Correspondence betwixt the 2 men was released by the U.S. Justice Department precocious past period on with millions of pages of documents from the American probe into Epstein.

“Following a thorough assessment, we person present opened an probe into this allegation of misconduct successful nationalist office,’’ Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright said successful a statement.

“We recognize the important nationalist involvement successful this case, and we volition supply updates astatine the due time,” helium added.

Police besides said they were searching 2 properties.

Earlier successful the day, pictures circulated online that appeared to amusement unmarked constabulary cars astatine Wood Farm, Mountbatten-Windsor’s location connected the Sandringham Estate successful Norfolk, with plainclothes officers gathering outside.

Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied immoderate wrongdoing successful his relation with Epstein.

The allegations being investigated Thursday are abstracted from those made by Virginia Giuffre, who claimed she was trafficked to Britain to person enactment with the prince successful 2001, erstwhile she was conscionable 17. Giuffre died by termination past year.

Still, Giuffre’s household praised the arrest, saying that their “broken hearts person been lifted astatine the quality that nary 1 is supra the law, not adjacent royalty.”

The household added: “He was ne'er a prince. For survivors everywhere, Virginia did this for you.”

A ‘spectacular autumn from grace’

“This is the astir spectacular autumn from grace for a subordinate of the royal household successful modern times,” said Craig Prescott, a royal adept astatine Royal Holloway, University of London, who compared it successful severity to the situation sparked by Edward VIII’s abdication to wed American divorcee Wallis Simpson.

“And it whitethorn not beryllium implicit yet,’’ Prescott added.

Thursday’s apprehension came a time aft the National Police Chiefs’ Council said it had created a coordination radical to assistance forces crossed the U.K. that are assessing whether Epstein and his associates committed crimes successful Britain. In summation to the concerns astir Mountbatten-Windsor ’s correspondence, documents released by the U.S. suggest Epstein whitethorn person utilized his backstage pitchy to postulation women to and from Britain.

The documents besides rocked British politics. Prime Minister Keir Starmer had to combat disconnected questions astir his judgement aft the papers revealed that Peter Mandelson, the antheral helium appointed ambassador to the U.S., had a longer and person narration with Epstein than was antecedently disclosed.

London’s Metropolitan Police Service has said it is investigating allegations of misconduct successful nationalist bureau related to Mandelson’s ain correspondence with Epstein. Mandelson was fired arsenic ambassador to the U.S. successful September.

But it is Mountbatten-Windsor’s narration with Epstein that brought the ungraded to the doors of Buckingham Palace and threatened to undermine enactment for the monarchy.

The past clip a elder British royal was arrested was astir 400 years agone during the reign of King Charles I that saw a increasing powerfulness conflict betwixt the crown and Parliament.

After the king attempted to apprehension lawmakers successful the House of Commons successful 1642, hostilities erupted into the English Civil War, which ended with triumph for the parliamentary forces of Oliver Cromwell.

Charles I was arrested, tried, convicted of precocious treason and beheaded successful 1649.

Modern concerns astir Mountbatten-Windsor’s links to Epstein person dogged the royal household for much than a decade.

The precocious Queen Elizabeth II forced her 2nd lad to springiness up royal duties and extremity his charitable enactment successful 2019 aft helium tried to explicate distant his relationship with Epstein during a catastrophic interrogation with the BBC.

But arsenic interest mounted astir what the Epstein files mightiness reveal, the king moved aggressively to insulate the royal household from the fallout.

Since October, Charles has stripped his younger member of the close to beryllium called prince, forced him to determination retired of the royal property helium occupied for much than 20 years and issued a nationalist connection supporting the women and girls abused by Epstein.

Last week, the palace said it was acceptable to cooperate with constabulary investigating Mountbatten-Windsor.

Charles was forced to enactment aft Mountbatten-Windsor’s correspondence with Epstein torpedoed the erstwhile prince’s claims that helium severed ties with the financier aft Epstein's 2008 condemnation for soliciting a insignificant for prostitution.

Instead, emails betwixt the 2 men amusement Epstein offering to put a day betwixt Mountbatten-Windsor and a young Russian pistillate successful 2010, and the then-prince inviting Epstein to meal astatine Buckingham Palace.

Additional correspondence appears to amusement Mountbatten-Windsor sending Epstein reports from a two-week circuit of Southeast Asia that helium undertook successful 2010 arsenic Britain’s commercialized envoy.

It’s unclear however agelong Mountbatten-Windsor volition beryllium held

Danny Shaw, an adept connected instrumentality enforcement successful the U.K., told the BBC that successful astir cases, suspects are held betwixt 12 and 24 hours and are past either charged oregon released pending further investigation.

The implicit longest the erstwhile prince tin beryllium held for is 96 hours, but that would necessitate aggregate extensions from elder constabulary officers and a magistrate’s court. He was arrested astatine 8 a.m.

Mountbatten-Windsor volition beryllium placed successful “a compartment successful a custody suite” with conscionable “a furniture and a toilet,” wherever helium volition hold until his constabulary interview.

“There’ll beryllium nary peculiar attraction for him,″ Shaw said.

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