What to know about the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor

LONDON (AP) — Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known arsenic Prince Andrew, has been arrested connected suspicion of misconduct successful nationalist bureau that is centered connected his adjacent narration with the precocious convicted enactment offender Jeffrey Epstein.

His apprehension Thursday follows years of allegations implicit his links with Epstein, who took his ain beingness successful a New York situation successful 2019. The accusation astatine the bosom of his apprehension is that helium shared confidential commercialized accusation with the disgraced financier.

It is 1 of the gravest crises to impact the House of Windsor since its constitution much than a 100 years ago. Arguably, lone the abdication of King Edward VIII successful 1936 and the decease of Diana, Princess of Wales, successful 1997 person been graver for the instauration of the British monarchy.

Here’s what to know:

The arrest

Mountbatten-Windsor was taken into custody Thursday greeting by officers from Thames Valley Police astatine King Charles III's backstage retreat successful Sandringham, wherever the erstwhile prince is present living.

The apprehension follows a ratcheting up of allegations against Mountbatten-Windsor successful the aftermath of the merchandise of millions of pages of files past period related to Epstein by the U.S. Justice Department.

Many of the allegations halfway connected intersexual impropriety connected the portion of Mountbatten-Windsor, specifically that a pistillate was trafficked to the U.K. by Epstein to person a intersexual brushwood with the then-prince.

However, helium has been arrested connected suspicion of misconduct successful nationalist office.

The suspicion

The Crown Prosecution Service, which decides connected whether a complaint has the imaginable to pb to a palmy prosecution, defines the misconduct successful nationalist bureau arsenic the “serious willful maltreatment oregon neglect of the powerfulness oregon responsibilities of the nationalist bureau held.”

Thames Valley Police said it was “assessing” reports that Mountbatten-Windsor sent confidential commercialized reports to Epstein successful 2010, erstwhile the erstwhile prince was Britain’s peculiar envoy for planetary trade. Other constabulary forces successful the U.K. are besides conducting their ain investigations.

Specifically, emails released arsenic portion of the Epstein files appeared to amusement Mountbatten-Windsor sharing reports of authoritative visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore.

One email, dated November 2010, appeared to beryllium forwarded by Andrew 5 minutes aft helium had been sent it. In another, connected Christmas Eve 2010, helium appeared to nonstop Epstein a confidential little connected concern opportunities successful the reconstruction of Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

The imaginable sentence

The discourtesy technically carries a maximum condemnation of beingness imprisonment, but experts accidental a shorter word would beryllium much apt if helium is convicted by a jury.

Mountbatten-Windsor has ever denied immoderate impropriety but has not commented connected the astir caller allegations.

Experts said that proving misconduct successful a nationalist bureau is notoriously hard to prove.

“Firstly, it indispensable beryllium determined if Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was successful a relation wrong authorities that constitutes the rubric of nationalist officer," said Sean Caulfield, a transgression defence lawyer astatine Hodge Jones & Allen.

In caller years, situation officers person been prosecuted for the discourtesy aft having inappropriate relationships with inmates, arsenic good arsenic constabulary officers leaking information.

The coming hours

Police person the powerfulness to hunt Mountbatten-Windsor's properties, and ceremonial questions tin present beryllium enactment to him during interviews. Under UK law, constabulary tin clasp a fishy without charging them for up to 24 hours from the clip of arrest. This tin beryllium extended to a maximum of 96 hours.

The constabulary tin past merchandise Mountbatten-Windsor connected bail if there’s not capable grounds to complaint him.

It is unclear wherever precisely Mountbatten-Windsor is being questioned, but helium is apt to person had his mug changeable taken earlier heading into the confines of a tiny interrogation room. If helium hasn’t got a lawyer, past constabulary would connection one. The lawyer whitethorn counsel Mountbatten-Windsor to accidental “no comment” to each question arsenic is his right.

Searches are being carried retired astatine addresses successful Berkshire, westbound of London, and Norfolk, northeast of the capital. Windsor Castle, wrong which Mountbatten-Windsor lived until earlier this month, is successful Berkshire, portion Sandringham is successful Norfolk.

The Crown Prosecution Service volition request to marque a determination astir charging him.

Andrew Gilmore, a spouse astatine Grosvenor Law, said that prosecutors volition use the two-stage trial known arsenic the “Code for Crown Prosecutors."

“That trial is to find whether determination is simply a much realistic imaginable of a condemnation than not based connected the grounds and whether the substance is successful the nationalist interest,” helium said. “If these 2 tests are met, past the substance volition beryllium charged and proceed to court.”

The response

Mountbatten-Windsor's apprehension is not a immense surprise, but it is simply a consequential infinitesimal successful the past of the modern monarchy.

You person to spell backmost to the apprehension of King Charles I astir 400 years for an illustration of a elder British royal being arrested. That turned into a seismic infinitesimal successful British history, starring to revolution, Charles' beheading and the impermanent abolition of the monarchy.

After Mountbatten-Windsor’s apprehension Thursday, King Charles III said that the instrumentality indispensable instrumentality its people successful the probe arsenic helium sought to region the royal household from his brother.

“As this process continues, it would not beryllium close for maine to remark further connected this matter," the king said successful a connection signed Charles R. "My household and I volition proceed successful our work and work to you all.’’

His wife, Queen Camilla, did not remark erstwhile questions were shouted to her extracurricular a lunchtime orchestral performance successful London. Camilla waved to cameras but did not respond.

Mountbatten-Windsor's erstwhile wife, Sarah Ferguson, has yet to comment. She has faced her ain allegations successful transportation with her dealings with Epstein.

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