King Charles' younger brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was arrested on Thursday. He is suspected of neglect of public duty for allegedly passing confidential government documents to Jeffrey Epstein. Already deprived of his titles, his arrest marks a new episode in the long fall of the fallen prince.

Published on: 02/19/2026 - 12:17 Modified on: 02/19/2026 - 2:16 p.m.

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Ex-Prince Andrew was arrested following allegations of "misconduct in the exercise of official duties", Windsor police announced on Thursday February 19, and searches are currently taking place at two addresses in England, in apparent connection with these accusations.

Police in Thames Valley, home to the Royal Lodge where Andrew lived until recently, said they were looking into reports that the former Prince Andrew passed business dealings to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2010.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was reported to the police by the anti-monarchist group Republic following the publication at the end of January of more than 3 million pages of documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein. The documents suggested that in 2010 he passed reports to Epstein about Vietnam, Singapore and other places he had visited on official trips during his time as the UK's international trade envoy.

Aged 66, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has for years been the subject of particular attention due to his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, a relationship which cost him his role within the royal family, his titles and his residence.

Also read: Prince Andrew officially stripped of his titles: the British monarchy turns the page

“He will be terribly spoiled”

Born in 1960 at Buckingham Palace, 12 years after his eldest Charles, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth II. As The Telegraph explains, after the birth of her son, the monarch reportedly sent her cousin a note saying: "The baby is adorable... In the end, he will be terribly spoiled by all of us, I'm sure."

In the series “The Crown”, retracing the journey of Elizabeth II, the now ex-Prince Andrew appears as the favorite son. A relationship that began in his early years. Interviewed by CNN, Richard Fitzwilliams, a royal commentator, believes that "when Prince Charles and Princess Anne were born, the Queen was not able to spend the time with them that she would have liked." When Andrew was born, the Queen had already reigned for several years. “She was able to pay more attention to him and she had a particular affinity with Andrew,” adds this specialist.

Like his brothers and sister, Andrew was educated by a governess and later joined Gordonstoun School in the north of Scotland, but unlike Charles, he followed a different path. Instead of attending university, he joined the Royal Navy in 1979. His military vocation made him extremely popular. Having become a Green Beret, he served during the Falklands War in 1982 aboard an aircraft carrier, when he was only 22 years old, as a helicopter pilot. He participates in anti-submarine warfare, casualty evacuation and air rescue missions. “He became the national hero. Mom was very happy, Dad was very happy and Charles was a little upset because it was his little brother who took the light,” Patrick Weber, specialist in royalty, summarized with RTBF.

The playboy prince

At the end of the conflict, he continued to serve in uniform. Promoted to the rank of lieutenant, he was appointed personal aide-de-camp by his mother. At the same time, he earned the nickname "Randy Andy" for his numerous conquests. The one who was demoted to 4th place in the order of succession to the throne after the births of William and Harry is seen at many parties in the arms of pretty girls.

But in 1986, he married the bubbly Sarah “Fergie” Ferguson. They formed “the flagship couple of the late 1980s”, underlines CNN. At the time, the New York Times even spoke of “Fergie fever”. Despite the birth of their two daughters Beatrice and Eugenie, the happy union is crumbling. Andrew's repeated absence due to his military career as well as the media attention paid to Sarah, constantly compared to Lady Di, the wife of his brother Charles, causes their breakup. In 1992, they announced their separation. At the same time, a scandal broke out with the publication of photos showing the sulfurous affair between Fergie and a Texan millionaire. Four years later, the divorce was finalized.

Until 2001, the man who was still a prince held positions in the navy. He then became the UK's special representative for international trade and investment, traveling the world to promote the country's businesses. He does not receive a salary from the ministry, but his expenses are paid. He then earned another nickname, "Air Miles Andy" due to his jet-setting lifestyle. He appears at parties on the arm of model Heidi Klum or a “Playboy” pin-up, according to The Guardian. “In 2010, the Prince spent 714,000 euros as a trade envoy, including 178,000 euros on hotels, catering and hospitality, and 536,000 euros on travel,” The Daily Telegraph also reported.

While he was criticized for combining business with pleasure during his trips abroad, his judgment was also "questioned for holding meetings with former Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's son, Saif, and for receiving former Tunisian president's son-in-law Zine El Abidine Ben Ali at Buckingham Palace," according to the BBC.

The Epstein scandal

It was at this time that he met Jeffrey Epstein through the latter's companion, the British Ghislaine Maxwell. His links with the businessman, sentenced in 2008 to 18 months in prison for inciting the prostitution of minors, came to light in 2010. A photo of the Duke of York alongside Jeffrey Epstein during a walk in Central Park made the front page of the tabloid News of the world with the title "Prince Andy and the pedophile".

This cliché tarnishes his reputation. Andrew is forced to leave his post as special representative of the United Kingdom. But the scandal really broke out in 2015 when he was named in a civil complaint against Jeffrey Epstein by a woman later identified as Virginia Giuffre. The latter claims to have been ordered by the businessman to have sexual relations with Prince Andrew three times when she was 17 years old.

Also read: From Jeffrey Epstein's companion to prison, the journey of Ghislaine Maxwell

The royal family member denies any connection to her, although photos and a video clearly indicate otherwise. In 2019, Jeffrey Epstein was arrested again and charged with “sexual exploitation and sexual exploitation conspiracy.” While he risks 45 years of imprisonment, he commits suicide in prison. Andrew can no longer remain silent about this scandal.

A few months later, he gave a disastrous interview to the BBC during which he claimed not to regret his friendship with the businessman. “I can categorically, absolutely tell you that it did not happen,” he also declares about a possible meeting with Virginia Giuffre. During the interview, the prince does not seem to understand the seriousness of the situation.

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This media disaster is causing a tidal wave. A few days later, Buckingham Palace announced that it was withdrawing from public engagements. The 200 associations which were under his patronage are divided between his brother, the Prince of Wales, and his nephew the Duke of Cambridge. Two years later, Virginia Giuffre officially filed a complaint against him in a Manhattan court. He avoided a trial in New York by paying millions of dollars to the young woman.

Also readVirginia Giuffre, one of the main plaintiffs in the Epstein affair, committed suicide

Despite this agreement, the scandal was not hushed up. For Andrew Lownie, the author of a biography devoted to the prince and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson published in August, the darling child of Elizabeth II could even face legal proceedings. "I believe that if the London police had properly investigated these allegations of sex trafficking, he would have already been charged (...)," he told AFP. In her book, Virginia Giuffre claims that the prince would have done everything to tarnish his image.

Last October, the Court announced that he was stripped of his predicate, titles and honorary distinctions, notably that of prince. The brother of King Charles III is now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

At the beginning of February, in the midst of the resurgence of the Epstein affair, he ended up leaving his luxurious residence at Royal Lodge, near Windsor Castle, west of London. The monarch had ordered his younger brother to leave this mansion where he had resided for more than 20 years - for a paltry rent - with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, to resettle in a royal property in Sandringham, in the north-east of England.

Read alsoUnited Kingdom: Andrew leaves Windsor but remains at the heart of suspicion

With AP and AFP

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