British police detains former Prince Andrew amid Epstein scandal

Police detained UK former Prince Andrew amid the scandal surrounding his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, RIA Novosti reports, citing the Express newspaper.

"Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been detained on suspicion of improper conduct in public office," the publication states.

This information was confirmed by Thames Valley Police, which also announced searches at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk.

Earlier today, the Telegraph reported that six unmarked police cars and eight plainclothes officers arrived at the former prince's home on the grounds of Sandringham Palace.

Andrew has been at the center of a high-profile scandal for the past several years. In 2019, human rights activist Virginia Giuffre accused him of rape. In March 2022, media reported that the former prince had paid her compensation and the trial was dropped. However, he himself did not admit guilt.

In April 2025, the activist was found dead at her home in Western Australia. In October of that year, her posthumous memoir was published, stating that one of her sexual encounters with the British king's brother took place on Epstein's private island.

The latest files published in the financier's case also contain references to Andrew, including compromising photos of him.

Furthermore, it contains evidence that the former prince secretly sent government documents to Epstein. According to media reports, British police have created a unit to investigate the allegations against Andrew, with nine agencies already involved.

In early December last year, King Charles III stripped his brother of all titles.

The Epstein Case

In 2008, the financier was implicated in a case involving the solicitation of minors for prostitution and rape. He pleaded guilty, entered into a plea bargain, and served approximately 13 months in prison.

In July 2019, he was arrested again on charges of child sex trafficking and conspiracy to solicit child sex trafficking. According to the evidence, from 2002 to 2005, Epstein engaged in intimate relationships with dozens of girls whom he hosted at residences in New York and Florida. Some of the victims were as young as 14 years old.

In August of that year, he committed suicide in his prison cell. His accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Public interest in the case increased significantly last year when approximately 20,000 pages of the financier's email correspondence became publicly available, along with photos of prominent figures, including former president Bill Clinton, former British Ambassador to Washington Peter Mandelson, director Woody Allen, singer Michael Jackson, entrepreneur Richard Branson, Andrew, brother of King Charles III of Great Britain, and others.