A London Judge on Thursday said police unlawfully searched the properties of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as part of a sweeping investigation into the former prince’s ties to late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Thames Valley Police arrested Mountbatten-Windsor in February after information in the Justice Department’s Epstein files disclosure showed alleged misconduct during his decade as a United Kingdom trade envoy from 2001 to 2011. Police later searched his two homes and seized property as part of the investigation into the alleged misconduct.
Justice Nicholas Hilliard ruled that the Thomas Valley Police made a mistake in applying for a warrant to conduct the search. Lawyers for Mountbatten-Windsor had requested that the warrants be invalidated, which allowed police to search his Royal Lodge and Sandringham estate.
Mark Stephens of Howard Kennedy law firm in London, who is representing Mountbatten-Windsor, said the ruling is a step in the broader process.
“It’s the first step of Prince Andrew and his lawyers saying, ‘Actually, this is tainted evidence. It was obtained inappropriately,’’’ Stephens said. “Therefore it should be excluded from any criminal trial.”
Mountbatten-Windsor, 66, is the first senior royal in modern history to be arrested. He was already stripped of his royal title due to his connections to Epstein in 2022, and was stripped of the last remaining titles, including the title of “prince,” last October. Despite having his titles revoked, Mountbatten-Windsor continues to receive an allowance from King Charles II’s private funds, which are not allowed to be used to challenge the search warrants.
The former royal’s February arrest was related to allegations that he misused his office by sharing sensitive information with Epstein, but police have since said the investigation could be expanded to address other accusations related to his involvement with Epstein.
WHAT THE DOJ’S EPSTEIN FILES SAID ABOUT PRINCE ANDREW
Mountbatten-Windsor has for years been ensnared in accusations that he sexually assaulted and raped at least one of Epstein’s victims, Virginia Giuffre. He never admitted guilt, but agreed to a settlement for an undisclosed “substantial” sum out of court in 2022, roughly three years before Giuffre, 41, died by suicide. Giuffre’s memoir recounting her experience with Epstein and Mountbatten-Windsor, released posthumously in October 2025, stirred further uproar in Great Britain.
Following his February arrest, Mountbatten-Windsor was held by police for 11 hours for questioning, but was later released without facing charges or being exonerated. The investigation into his involvement with Epstein is ongoing.
Continue reading...
[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
