- By Akansha Pandey
- Thu, 19 Feb 2026 06:55 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was taken into custody on Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office at Sandringham estate. The former prince, who had already lost his royal status due to his ties with Jeffrey Epstein, faces this new legal trouble after years of scandal. While he has always said he did nothing wrong, his friendship with the late sex offender has haunted the British Royal Family for over a decade.
King Charles III eventually forced his brother to stop using his titles. Andrew’s history of poor judgment from lawsuits to accusations of using his royal role for money, finally pushed the monarchy to distance itself from him.
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Newly released documents from the US Justice Department include evidence such as an invitation for Epstein to dine at Buckingham Palace and photos reportedly showing Andrew in compromising positions. These disclosures come shortly after the King stripped Andrew of his "Prince" title to protect the institution from the ongoing scandals. He is now officially known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
Andrew and his relationship with Epstein have come under increasing pressure since the release of the Epstein Files, which revealed numerous emails, photos and videos of Andrew in over 3 million files released by the US government.
Chronology Of Controversies And Legal Issues
Epstein Allegations: Virginia Giuffre identified the prince in Epstein-related files, alleging he assaulted her at three different locations while she was a minor. Andrew denied knowing Giuffre, but she became a prominent public figure by describing her time as a sex slave under Epstein and accusing the prince of abuse.
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1984: During a tour of California, Andrew sprayed reporters with paint, causing damage to some journalists.
2001: Virginia Roberts (later Giuffre) claimed in court that Jeffrey Epstein forced her into sexual relations with Andrew while she was a minor. Andrew denied these allegations.
2006: Andrew invited Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and Harvey Weinstein to his home, Royal Lodge. This meeting occurred while an arrest warrant had already been issued for Epstein in the US.
2007: Andrew sold his Sunninghill Park property for a price much higher than the market value. The buyer was reportedly linked to an influential businessman from Kazakhstan.
2010: After Epstein was released from jail, Andrew met him in New York. During this time, he was also accused of sharing trade reports.
2010: A photo of Andrew with Virginia Giuffre and Epstein surfaced. As the controversy grew, he resigned from his position as Britain’s special trade representative.
November 16, 2019: Andrew gave an interview and denied the allegations.
November 20, 2019: Buckingham Palace announced that Andrew would step back from public duties.
2022: Andrew was stripped of his military titles and the "His Royal Highness" style.
2022: A settlement was reached in the civil case with Virginia Giuffre.
2025: Reports claimed that Andrew had sent Christmas cards to Epstein in 2011–12.
2025: King Charles III formally stripped Andrew of all royal titles, including "Prince" and "HRH."