Add the man formerly known as Prince Andrew to the list of powerful people caught up in the fallout from the latest release of the so-called Epstein Files.
While Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s troubling connection to disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was well known and well documented, he was arrested on suspicion of “misconduct in public office” Thursday morning in a shocking move by U.K. authorities.
The Arrest
The Guardian reported Mountbatten-Windsor was taken into custody by local police as officers searched his home on the Royal Family’s Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, England, around 8am local time. Law enforcement was also seen searching the former prince’s former residence in Windsor.
On Thursday’s Megyn Kelly Show veteran royal correspondent Dan Wootton contextualized the unprecedented nature of the arrest. “This is historic,” he said. “There has not been a crisis like this in 90 years… [since] the Nazi-sympathizing King Edward VIII abdicated.”
The stunning arrest came hours after U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said “nobody is above the law” when questioned about Mountbatten-Windsor, who was stripped of his royal titles last year but remains eighth in line to the throne.
King Charles III swiftly reacted to the news of his younger brother being taken into custody, expressing his “deepest concern” and voicing his support for a full investigation. “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,” the statement read. “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. As this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter,” he added. “Meanwhile, my family and I will continue in our duty and service to you all.”
Mountbatten-Windsor, who turned 66 Thursday, was photographed looking disheveled in the backseat of a vehicle leaving the Thames Valley Police station some 12 hours after his arrest. According to Reuters, he was questioned all day by detectives. The Thames Valley Police confirmed that “the arrested man” had been “released under investigation.”
Suspected Misconduct
At least for now, Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest does not appear to be about potential inappropriate relationships with women. Instead, it is about alleged misconduct as it relates to what should have been confidential information.
Emails from the January 30 release of Epstein files from the U.S. Department of Justice strongly indicate that Mountbatten-Windsor shared confidential documents with Epstein while the former prince was working as a British trade envoy, a role he held from 2001 to 2011.
For example, a November 30, 2010 email – sent after Epstein’s 2008 sex crimes conviction – shows Mountbatten-Windsor forwarded official reports about his trips to Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong, and China to Epstein. There was no note or message accompanying the documents.
A few weeks later, on Christmas Eve 2010, the then-royal emailed Epstein directly about a “confidential briefing” on investment opportunities in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, which, at the time, was being run by the British military. The BBC reported there was a February 2011 correspondence from Mountbatten-Windsor to Epstein about an investment opportunity in a private company.
According to the U.K. government, trade envoys carry a “duty of confidentiality,” so Mountbatten-Windsor could be in trouble here if he violated that duty of confidentiality by sharing British secrets with an American entrepreneur, especially one as controversial as Epstein. A misconduct in public office conviction carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
A New King?
Wootton said “this scandal has been hiding in plain sight for 15 years,” but, should Mountbatten-Windsor be charged, he does not expect him to plead guilty. That would only further complicate matters for King Charles, who is already facing calls to step down.
“There are a whole load of scenarios here that could see King Charles having to abdicate as a result of what has happened today. Remember, in the United Kingdom, he runs the court,” he said. “This is the king’s court, and so the idea that his brother Andrew will be on trial potentially… [and] there are serious questions for King Charles… What did Charles know… We’re literally in unprecedented territory.”
As Wootton explained, the U.K. legal system does not operate identically to the United States, which could impact how Mountbatten-Windsor responds to any potential charges down the line. “What we don’t have in the United Kingdom is the same type of deals that you can do in the U.S. justice system where you make a plea deal. That just doesn’t really happen here,” he noted. “So, there [would be] no real motivation for Andrew to plead guilty unless he did want to keep his brother on the throne.”
But would the British people accept such a scenario? Wootton said the king may already be on thin ice in the court of public opinion, if the reaction of his “really pro-monarchy, pro-royal audience” is any indication.
“I ran a poll earlier today during my live broadcast of Outspoken… [and] 75 percent of my audience [said] that King Charles must abdicate here, must hand the throne to William and Catherine,” Wootton shared. “Now, his statement… made it clear he has no intention of doing that, but there are lots of paths that I believe could see that end up having to happen.”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Wootton by tuning in to episode 1,256 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s The Megyn Kelly Channel (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.