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News Topical, Digital Desk : Prince Andrew, a member of the British royal family, was arrested on Thursday in connection with the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Thames Valley Police confirmed the arrest to the internet media platform X.
According to police, Andrew was taken into custody at his Wood Farm estate in eastern England. Plainclothes officers arrived in unmarked vehicles during the operation. In an official statement, police did not release his name as per regulations and referred to him as “the former prince.”
Prince Andrew arrested in Epstein case
Police also said a search was underway at his former residence in Berkshire. The arrest came on the day Andrew celebrated his 66th birthday. This is considered the largest operation since the Epstein Files were released.
Andrew is accused of abusing his position as Britain's special trade envoy to share official and confidential documents with Jeffrey Epstein in 2010. His elder brother, King Charles III of Britain, responded briefly, saying the law would take its course.
Controversy over past ties to Epstein
Andrew, the second son of the late Queen Elizabeth II, has previously been embroiled in controversy over his close ties to Epstein. In addition to the indecent photographs of him in the Epstein Files, a woman alleged that Epstein took her to Britain in 2010 to have sex with the then-Prince Andrew. The woman claimed she visited Andrew's royal residence on the Windsor Castle estate.
Andrew stepped away from public royal duties after a television interview on the Epstein case in 2019. In 2022, he settled a civil lawsuit brought by American citizen Virginia Giuffre, alleging sexual abuse, through an out-of-court settlement, although he denied all allegations.
Epstein was convicted in 2008 of forcing a minor into prostitution. He died in a New York jail in 2019 after being arrested on federal sex trafficking charges, officially ruled a suicide. His daughters were not spared. Following controversies in previous years, his military titles and royal patronages were stripped. He was also stripped of his honorary title as the Duke of York. He is survived by two daughters, who retain their princess titles.
Crown Court hearing
The case will be heard in the Crown Court, where serious criminal cases are tried before a jury. If convicted, he faces a harsh penalty, including a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. This court ruled against Andrew's sister, Princess Anne, 350 years later in 2001.
They were fined for speeding, and in another case, Anne was found guilty of failing to control her dog. Her dog, Dotty, had bitten two children. Previously, in 1649, King Charles I was accused of theft after the English Civil War. He was sentenced to death and beheaded.
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