Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has filed a High Court claim challenging the search warrants that led police to raid two of his homes earlier this year, escalating the legal fallout from his February arrest over alleged links to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
A judicial spokesperson confirmed on Monday that the former prince had filed the claim in London and that a hearing is scheduled for Thursday. The case centres on whether Thames Valley Police acted lawfully when it searched his former Windsor home, Royal Lodge, and his residence on King Charles III’s Sandringham estate during the investigation that led to his arrest.
FAKTA
- Legal action: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has filed a High Court claim seeking to challenge the search warrants used against him.
- Hearing: Thursday at 2pm before Mr Justice Hilliard; it will begin in private and concern a police bid to restrict access to court documents.
- The searches: Royal Lodge in Windsor and a residence on the Sandringham estate, raided in February under warrants issued by an Old Bailey judge.
- The arrest: 19 February, on suspicion of misconduct in public office; questioned for 11 hours and released under investigation.
- The allegations: That he shared sensitive information with Jeffrey Epstein while serving as the UK’s trade envoy.
- Police position: Thames Valley Police says its misconduct investigation is continuing and declined further comment.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office and released under investigation. (Photo: Watan News)
The February Arrest That Shook the Monarchy
Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on his 66th birthday, 19 February, on suspicion of misconduct in public office following allegations that the former prince shared sensitive information with Epstein during his time as the UK’s trade envoy. Police questioned him for 11 hours before releasing him under investigation — meaning he was neither charged nor exonerated.
It was the first time in nearly four centuries that a senior British royal was placed under arrest, underscoring how far deference to the monarchy has eroded. The allegations against him came to light when the US Justice Department released millions of pages of documents from its investigation into sex trafficking by Epstein and his connections to a network of wealthy, powerful men around the world.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor Takes the Police to Court
According to earlier reporting by the Daily Telegraph, Mountbatten-Windsor was granted permission to ask the court to determine whether Thames Valley Police acted lawfully in obtaining the warrants. A judge at the Old Bailey had issued the warrants that allowed officers to search Royal Lodge and the Sandringham residence.
On Monday, a judicial spokesperson confirmed that the hearing in his legal claim will take place at 2pm on Thursday at the High Court before Mr Justice Hilliard. The session will concern a bid by Thames Valley Police to restrict access to court documents, and it will begin in private. It is not known whether Mountbatten-Windsor will attend.
A Thames Valley Police spokesperson said: “Whilst our investigation into misconduct in public office continues, we are engaged in legal proceedings in relation to warrants previously obtained from the Central Criminal Court. As these legal proceedings are currently ongoing, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further.”
A Case Without Precedent
The Telegraph has noted that the challenge marks the first time a member of the royal family has contested the lawfulness of criminal proceedings against them since the trial of Charles I in 1649 — a measure of the constitutional novelty of the case.
For now, the former Duke of York remains under investigation while his lawyers fight over the evidence gathered in February. Whatever Thursday’s hearing decides about access to the court documents, the underlying misconduct investigation continues — and with it, the most serious legal crisis to face the British royal family in modern times.
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