Former Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been arrested by the police on Thursday, February 19, 2026.
Pan-Atlantic Kompass learnt that in the early hours of Thursday unmarked police vehicles arrived at Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, where Andrew has been living.
It was also gathered that Andrew, who is celebrating his birthday today, Thursday, was arrested by Thames Valley Police on suspicion of alleged misconduct in public office.
This was confirmed in a statement issued by the police.
The statement reads: “As part of the investigation, we have today (19/2) arrested a man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office and are carrying out searches at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk.
“The man remains in police custody at this time.”We will not be naming the arrested man, as per national guidance. Please also remember that this case is now active so care should be taken with any publication to avoid being in contempt of court.”
Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright said: “Following a thorough assessment, we have now opened an investigation into this allegation of misconduct in public office.
“It is important that we protect the integrity and objectivity of our investigation as we work with our partners to investigate this alleged offence.
“We understand the significant public interest in this case, and we will provide updates at the appropriate time.”
Meanwhile, King Charles III has reacted after his brother was arrested by the police.
In a statement on Thursday, King Charles III said that “the law must take its course” following the arrest of his brother, former Prince Andrew.
“What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities,” he said. “In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and cooperation.”
“Let me state clearly: the law must take its course,” the king said, adding that he would not be commenting further amid the investigation into his brother, and that the rest of the royal family would “continue in our duty and service to you all.”
While details of alleged misconduct remain sketchy as of press time, Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that Andrew was arrested amid scrutiny over his alleged relationship with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Recall that Andrew recently moved out of the Royal Lodge as a direct consequence of King Charles III’s “intensified” efforts to distance the royal family from the ongoing fallout of his brother’s association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In October 2025, Andrew was ordered to leave the sprawling 30-room Royal Lodge in the heart of the Crown’s Windsor Estate, just outside of London, after his brother King Charles III cast him out of the monarchy over the swirling Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
The move was expected to occur after the holiday season, but it comes amid renewed pressure on Andrew after he appeared again in a newly released trove of U. S Justice Department documents related to the investigation into the deceased convicted sex offender.
Recall also that the police had officially begun investigating allegations that a woman was sent to the UK by Epstein for a sexual encounter with Andrew.
The encounter allegedly occurred at the former prince’s residence, Royal Lodge, in 2010. The woman, who is not British, was in her 20s at the time.
Her lawyer, Brad Edwards, whose U.S law firm has been representing Epstein victims since 2008, said that after spending the night with Mountbatten-Windsor, the woman says she was given tea and a tour of Buckingham Palace.
Recall also that Andrew emerged in the headlines for the wrong reasons in 2014, when late Virginia Giuffre became the first woman to publicly accuse Mountbatten-Windsor of similar encounters.
She alleged that as a 17-year-old she was trafficked by Epstein and his girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, and forced to have sex with Mountbatten-Windsor – a claim he continues to deny.
