Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office on his 66th birthday

Disgraced former prince, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct after an unprecedented investigation in Britain’s modern era.

As UK police investigate widespread allegations emerging from the Jeffrey Epstein files, the royal was sensationally taken into police custody over allegations related to his time as a trade envoy.

The ousted royal, who was marking his 66th birthday on Thursday, was arrested at the Sandringham estate in eastern England where Andrew now resides.

WATCH THE VIDEO OF POLICE ARRIVING AT ANDREW’S HOME IN THE PLAYER ABOVE

The former prince was last year stripped of all his titles, having been forced out of his former home by his brother King Charles.

Thames Valley police said in a statement that as part of the investigation into Andrew they had “today arrested a man in his 60s from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office”.

The statement went on to say officers were carrying out searches at two addresses in Berkshire and in Norfolk.

The force didn’t name the suspect, as is common practice in the UK, but several media outlets photographed a fleet of unmarked police cars arriving at Andrew’s estate about 8am local time.

Public pressure had been building for Andrew in the UK after revelations last week appeared to show Andrew had sent convicted US sex offender Epstein potentially confidential documents during his time as a UK trade envoy.

In a November 2010 email, Andrew appeared to share with Epstein reports on Vietnam, Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Singapore after an official visit to Asia.

The ex-royal also reportedly sent the US financier details of the trip — on which he was accompanied by Epstein’s business associates — along with investment opportunities months later.

The former prince was eventually stripped of his titles after one of Epstein’s victims, Virginia Giuffre, alleged she had been trafficked to have sex with him.

Ms Giuffre, who moved to Perth after the allegations were aired, took her own life at the age of 41 in April last year.

Andrew previously denied any wrongdoing in his associations with Epstein including allegations made by Ms Giuffre, but reached an out-of-court settlement with her in 2022 to resolve their civil sexual assault lawsuit.

While the exact amount was not officially disclosed, it was widely reported to be somewhere between $16 million to $20m.

The Queen reportedly contributed approximately $4m to the settlement.

Charles has voiced his “concern” over his brother’s actions and last week issued an unprecedented statement noting Buckingham Palace was “ready to support” the police in their inquiries.

Official guidance stipulates that trade envoys have a duty of confidentiality over sensitive, commercial or political information related to their official visits, the BBC has said.

Andrew, whose ties to Epstein have caused a spectacular years-long fall from grace, served as a British trade envoy for a decade from 2001.

At least nine separate UK police forces have confirmed they are assessing reports which appear to link the former prince to Epstein.

Police in Surrey, south-eastern England, said on Wednesday they had become “aware” of a redacted report alleging “human trafficking and sexual assaults on a minor” between 1994 and 1996 in the village of Virginia Water.

The report emerged in the latest tranche of millions of files released by the US Justice Department from the investigation into Epstein, who died in prison in 2019. “After reviewing our systems using the limited information available to us, we found no evidence of these allegations being reported to Surrey Police,” its statement read.

“We therefore encourage anyone with information in relation to these allegations to report this to us.”

The statement did not name any individuals involved.

But it comes as high-profile figures, including former UK prime minister Gordon Brown, have urged police to investigate dozens of flights dating back decades arriving at UK airports and tied to Epstein.

Writing in the New Statesman magazine last week, Mr Brown said he had been “told privately that the investigations related to the former prince Andrew did not properly check vital evidence of flights”.

Andrew’s elder sister Princess Anne was fined for speeding in 2001, and the following year became the first royal to be convicted of a criminal offence in 350 years when she appeared in court to plead guilty to failing to stop one of her dogs, named Dotty, biting two children.

You would have to go as far back as King Charles I to find the last senior member of the royal family to be seized.

He was arrested and later tried for high treason after refusing to accept limits on royal authority, leading to his execution in 1649.