Epstein File: Former Prince Andrew arrested on his birthday, released after rigorous interrogation

British Monarchy On Thursday (19 February 2026), former Prince Andrew was arrested by the police in the case related to Jeffrey Epstein, after which he was kept in custody for questioning for several hours. In British history, such action against a senior member of the royal family is considered very strange. The surprising thing is that Prince Andrew was arrested on the day of his 66th birthday.

At around 8am on Thursday, police raided Andrew’s new residence on the royal Sandringham estate in Norfolk and took him into custody. ‘A 60-year-old man from Norfolk has been arrested on suspicion of abuse of public office,’ Thames Valley Police said in an official statement. As per the rules in Britain, the police did not make the name public. By evening, police confirmed that the arrested person had been released pending investigation. Although the search in Norfolk has been completed, investigations are continuing at another property in Berkshire, believed to be Andrew’s former residence Royal Lodge.

King Charles III issued a written statement immediately after the incident. He said, ‘The law should be allowed to take its course.’ He also assured that Buckingham Palace will provide full cooperation to the police. Although the matter was serious, King Charles continued with his scheduled public appearances, including the opening of London Fashion Week. This was seen as an attempt to maintain the stability and normalcy of the monarchy. Andrew was stripped of his royal titles last year and was also removed from his official residence in Windsor. Despite this, he still remains at eighth place in the list of succession.

Andrew’s name has long been linked to the Jeffrey Epstein case. Recently unsealed documents claimed he sent potentially confidential reports to Epstein when he was Britain’s trade envoy in 2010. These reports are said to include information related to official visits to Asian countries. Epstein was convicted in the US in 2008 of soliciting prostitution of a minor. He died in jail in 2019.

In Britain, the charge of Misconduct in Public Office is considered serious. According to the Crown Prosecution Service, the maximum sentence for this offense is life imprisonment. At least nine British police forces are reviewing documents related to Epstein, many of the claims are said to be related to Andrew. Recently, after the files released by the US Justice Department, the scope of investigation has increased further.