Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrested as it happened: Former prince released from custody after 11 hours amid Epstein scandal; King Charles, Trump, Virginia Giuffre’s family issue statement

This is where we will end our live updates on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s shock overnight arrest.

To recap, here are some of the main points of the story we’ve covered today.

• Andrew has returned to his Sandringham estate home, more than 12 hours after he was arrested on the morning of his 66th birthday. He looked sullen in the back seat of the vehicle that whisked him from Aylsham Police Station in north Norfolk, after he was snapped slouching in an apparent attempt to avoid the cameras when leaving detention. Police searches at his Norfolk address have concluded, though similar investigations in Berkshire, believed to be the Royal Lodge, Andrew’s former residence, continue.

• Holding back tears, Virginia Giuffre’s brother described what he thinks his sister would be doing after hearing the news of Andrew’s arrest, saying she would have used the opportunity to toast with her “survivor sisters”. Giuffre, who claimed she was trafficked to engage in sex with Mountbatten-Windsor when she was 17, died by suicide in Western Australia last year.

• A lawyer for Jeffrey Epstein’s victims said the news of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest could “restore some faith for those who believed justice was unreachable”. US lawyer Spencer T. Kuvin, who represents victims of the notorious billionaire sex offender, told CNN that victims of abuse “often face disbelief and backlash”, and that the legal process must remain “centred on survivors’ dignity regardless of the fame, power or wealth of a potential perpetrator”.

• Australian politicians reacted to the news of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest, saying it comes as a significant “fall from grace”. Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has lauded legal systems under which everyone is treated equally after the former prince was arrested in the UK. Health Minister Mark Butler said the former prince was now just like any other man. “There’s not much we can appropriately say about the potential for charges, but… what a fall from grace,” Butler told Seven’s Sunrise this morning.

• Charles has said the “law must take its course”, reaffirming that authorities have “our full and wholehearted support and co-operation”. Prince William and Princess Catherine signalled their support for the King’s statement. Charles continued his royal duties hours after his brother’s arrest, holding an audience at St James’ Palace and being photographed at a London Fashion Week event. Police said the Home Office was given advance warning of the arrest.

Be sure to keep an eye on our site throughout the day for any major developments.

This is where we will end our live updates on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s shock overnight arrest.

To recap, here are some of the main points of the story we’ve covered today.

• Andrew has returned to his Sandringham estate home, more than 12 hours after he was arrested on the morning of his 66th birthday. He looked sullen in the back seat of the vehicle that whisked him from Aylsham Police Station in north Norfolk, after he was snapped slouching in an apparent attempt to avoid the cameras when leaving detention. Police searches at his Norfolk address have concluded, though similar investigations in Berkshire, believed to be the Royal Lodge, Andrew’s former residence, continue.

• Holding back tears, Virginia Giuffre’s brother described what he thinks his sister would be doing after hearing the news of Andrew’s arrest, saying she would have used the opportunity to toast with her “survivor sisters”. Giuffre, who claimed she was trafficked to engage in sex with Mountbatten-Windsor when she was 17, died by suicide in Western Australia last year.

• A lawyer for Jeffrey Epstein’s victims said the news of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest could “restore some faith for those who believed justice was unreachable”. US lawyer Spencer T. Kuvin, who represents victims of the notorious billionaire sex offender, told CNN that victims of abuse “often face disbelief and backlash”, and that the legal process must remain “centred on survivors’ dignity regardless of the fame, power or wealth of a potential perpetrator”.

• Australian politicians reacted to the news of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest, saying it comes as a significant “fall from grace”. Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has lauded legal systems under which everyone is treated equally after the former prince was arrested in the UK. Health Minister Mark Butler said the former prince was now just like any other man. “There’s not much we can appropriately say about the potential for charges, but… what a fall from grace,” Butler told Seven’s Sunrise this morning.

• Charles has said the “law must take its course”, reaffirming that authorities have “our full and wholehearted support and co-operation”. Prince William and Princess Catherine signalled their support for the King’s statement. Charles continued his royal duties hours after his brother’s arrest, holding an audience at St James’ Palace and being photographed at a London Fashion Week event. Police said the Home Office was given advance warning of the arrest.

Be sure to keep an eye on our site throughout the day for any major developments.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former prince and younger brother of King Charles III, has been arrested at his home on the Sandringham Estate on his 66th birthday.

Mountbatten-Windsor was taken into custody after UK police arrived at the property in plain clothes in the early hours of Thursday morning, London time.

The arrest relates to suspicion of misconduct in public office linked to his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

After about 11 hours of questioning, the former prince was released from Aylsham police station in north Norfolk.

The arrest follows the recent release of millions of documents from the Epstein files by the US Department of Justice. It is unrelated to his treatment of women or his history with Virginia Roberts Giuffre. Mountbatten-Windsor has faced accusations for many years that he sexually assaulted Giuffre, but he has repeatedly denied the claims.

Read more about the case, the law and the former prince here.

The arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on Thursday predictably dominates the front pages of the British press, with many papers pulling no punches on the latest ignominious episode for the former prince, which has left the monarchy reeling.

Mountbatten-Windsor’s glazed expression, slumped in the back of a Range Rover after 11 hours in police custody, stares out from newspapers across the board.

Read the full story here.

Holding back tears, Virginia Giuffre’s brother has described what he thinks his sister would be doing after hearing the news of Andrew’s arrest, saying she would have used the opportunity to toast with her “survivor sisters”.

Giuffre, who claimed she was trafficked to engage in sex with Mountbatten-Windsor when she was 17, died by suicide in Western Australia last year.

Andrew denied the allegations but reached a settlement with her in 2022.

Speaking to 9 News earlier today, Giuffre’s brother Sky Roberts said the focus wouldn’t be on what his late sister would say, but “what she might do”.

“At this point, I think we have a feeling of vindication,” he said.

“She’d be popping open a little cork of champagne right here, and she’d be pouring it out for her survivor sisters, taking a sip and cheersing up and saying ‘hey girls, we’ve got a long way to go here but let’s take this one today’.”

Amanda Roberts, Giuffre’s sister-in-law, said she was asleep when her husband told her the news of the former prince’s arrest.

“It was so surreal, we had this spike of joy, celebration, and we couldn’t believe that something was actually happening here,” she said.

“It’s been hitting us in waves today, the exhaustion of the situation, but the moments of realising I can’t call my sister. I can’t call her, I can’t tell her how proud I am of her. We can’t tell her how much we love her and that everything she has been doing is not in vain.”

Lifeline: 13 11 14

London: The King’s younger brother has brought disgrace on himself and shame on the royal family in the biggest scandal to have rocked the House of Windsor. The next steps for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor will compound the enormous damage now that he has been arrested.

One key fact about the arrest is that it does not concern his treatment of women or his relations with Virginia Roberts Giuffre, the source of most of the attention on the former prince over the past decade.

The arrest is about misconduct in public office and therefore relates to his time as a trade envoy. He held a government position and was entrusted with confidential information about trade deals and investment opportunities. He is accused of leaking this to help his friend, Jeffrey Epstein.

This means the police will not only be relying on the Epstein files released by the US Department of Justice. They could have access to British government files, and interviews with government officials, to find out more about how this confidential information was used. Mountbatten-Windsor is likely to be exposed to many more revelations over time.

It is hard to be sure about what Andrew sent Epstein because of the challenge of going through the Department of Justice files. Nobody can be certain that every document has been found, even though hundreds of reporters have been going through them for weeks, because the files are not easy to search.

Read David Crowe’s full analysis here.

A lawyer for Jeffrey Epstein’s victims says the news of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest could “restore some faith for those who believed justice was unreachable”.

US lawyer Spencer T. Kuvin, who represents victims of the notorious billionaire sex offender, told CNN that victims of abuse “often face disbelief and backlash”, and that the legal process must remain “centred on survivors’ dignity regardless of the fame, power or wealth of a potential perpetrator”.

“Survivors want more than a sensational news cycle — they want truth, accountability and lasting change in how the powerful are held responsible for their actions,” Kuvin told CNN.

“[Andrew’s] arrest should be a step toward that, not the end of the conversation.”

Australian politicians have reacted to the news of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest, saying it comes as a significant “fall from grace”.

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has lauded legal systems under which everyone is treated equally after the former prince was arrested in the UK.

“We live in a legal system which is very similar to the English legal system. All are all equal before the law. He needs to stand before law enforcement and the courts in the UK, and that’s absolutely appropriate,” Taylor told reporters in Melbourne.

“Right now, I think the important point to make is that we’re all equal before the law. That is one of the things that’s wonderful about our country and the UK. We inherited that from the UK, and that principle should apply in this case.

“He needs to answer to the courts.”

Health Minister Mark Butler said the former prince was now just like any other man.

“There’s not much we can appropriately say about the potential for charges, but… what a fall from grace,” Butler told Seven’s Sunrise this morning.

“A man we knew for decades as Prince Andrew, his royal highness, is now just a man in his 60s from Norfolk.”

Butler added his thoughts were with the women who were victims of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his associates.

Speaking to ABC News this morning, Rob Watson, political correspondent for the BBC World Service, said that while the former prince had been released without charge, that does not mean charges won’t follow.

“It really is a most astonishing moment in modern British history,” he said.

“Andrew has been released under investigation. Essentially, what that means is that the police will continue looking into the case and that may conclude in them deciding that there is a case they can take to court in which case he would be charged and face trial.

“Possibly, they might conclude that actually they don’t have quite enough evidence to make it stick and that would be the end of it. But for now, the investigation and the controversy and scandal goes on.”

Watson said that the royal family would likely remain “tight-lipped” following an earlier statement on Andrew’s arrest.

“They’re remaining tight-lipped. I think the message the palace is trying to get over is ‘look, we are saddened, shocked because Andrew is a family member, but the law must take its course’,” he said.

“If there’s one thing that King Charles wants the country and indeed the world to know, and I think many politicians share this view, it has to be that nobody is above the law in Britain.

“The Constitution is working, even if you’re the younger brother of the King, the second son of Queen Elizabeth. If you have done something wrong, potentially, you face the law just like the rest of us.”

Good morning and welcome to our rolling coverage of the shock arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former prince and younger brother of King Charles.

Here is what we know today:

• Andrew has returned to his Sandringham estate home, more than 12 hours after he was arrested on the morning of his 66th birthday. He looked sullen in the back seat of the vehicle that whisked him from Aylsham police station in north Norfolk, after he was snapped slouching in an apparent attempt to avoid the cameras when leaving detention. Police searches at his Norfolk address have concluded, though similar investigations in Berkshire, believed to be the Royal Lodge, Andrew’s former residence, continue.
• The former prince didn’t receive any royal treatment while in detention, according to UK tabloid The Sun, reporting that he was processed like a “common criminal suspect”. He was reportedly subject to standard procedures, including a DNA saliva swab, fingerprints and a mug shot, and read his rights by police. He was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office over links to Jeffrey Epstein – the common law offence carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
• Charles has said the “law must take its course”, reaffirming that authorities have “our full and wholehearted support and co-operation”. Prince William and Princess Catherine signalled their support for the King’s statement. Charles continued his royal duties hours after his brother’s arrest, holding an audience at St James’ Palace and being photographed at a London Fashion Week event. Police said the Home Office was given advance warning of the arrest.
• The journalist who conducted Andrew’s train wreck 2019 BBC interview said she was “stunned” by the arrest. Emily Maitlis told ABC Radio National that “to say that this is a crisis moment, I think, doesn’t begin to cover it”. The family of Virginia Giuffre, a high-profile accuser of Epstein, said they “celebrated” the arrest, hoping it would “open up” probes into allegations of sexual assault. Europe correspondent David Crowe spoke to London locals after the arrest, many expressing support for the investigation, some saying it was several years overdue.
• US President Donald Trump called Andrew’s arrest “very sad” and a “shame” for the royal family, while praising Charles ahead of his visit to the United States. During a state visit to the UK in 2019, Trump denied knowing Andrew, even though they had been photographed together.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor didn’t receive any royal treatment while in police custody, according to British tabloid newspaper The Sun which reports that he was processed like a “common criminal suspect” at Aylsham police station.

With the former prince detained for almost 12 hours before being allowed to return to Sandringham Estate, The Sun reports the disgraced royal was subject to standard procedures, with a DNA saliva swab, fingerprints and a mug shot taken.

Mountbatten-Windsor was reportedly taken aside and read his rights by the police. His two private bodyguards, former Met Police officers, were by his side as the premises were searched.

King Charles’ brother was not handcuffed and would have been entitled to a phone call, the report added.

His arrest was related to alleged misconduct in public office and relates to his time as a trade envoy.

He was entrusted with confidential information about trade deals and investment opportunities during his tenure. He is accused of leaking this to help his friend, the disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.