Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: KING CHARLES’ younger brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested and held for hours by British police on February 19 on suspicion of misconduct in public office related to his links to Jeffrey Epstein.
It was the first time in nearly four centuries that a senior British royal was placed under arrest, and it underscored how deference to the monarchy has eroded in recent years. Police swooped on his new home on the remote royal eastern Sandringham estate around 8:00 am King Charles III, who has promised police the full support of Buckingham Palace, swiftly issued a rare personally signed statement insisting “the law must take its course”. “As this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter. Meanwhile, my family and I will continue in our duty and service to you all”.
Thames Valley Police said in a statement late February 19 that “the arrested man has now been released under investigation”, meaning he has neither been charged nor exonerated. It was a humiliating new blow for Prince Andrew who was last year stripped of his titles, and ousted from his Windsor residence of more than two decades.
Andrew’s arrest follows new revelations recently that the ex-prince appeared to have sent Epstein potentially confidential documents while serving as a UK trade envoy. In a November 2010 email seen by AFP, Andrew appeared to share with the US financier reports on his visit to several Asian countries.
Epstein had been convicted in the United States in 2008 of procuring a child for prostitution.
Andrew, he second son of the late Queen Elizabeth, has always denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, and said he regrets their friendship. According to Reuters, a conviction for misconduct in a public office carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, and cases must be dealt with in a Crown Court, which deal with the most serious criminal offences.
