On his 66th birthday, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor — the man formerly known as Prince Andrew — was driven from his home on the Sandringham Estate to a police station in Norfolk, England, where he was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
He was held for 11 hours before being released while the investigation continues.
It was the first arrest of a senior British royal in nearly 400 years. And for the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse, it was something they feared they would never see: accountability.
What Happened
Thames Valley Police arrested Mountbatten-Windsor on Thursday, February 19, as part of an investigation into whether the former prince shared confidential government documents with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein while serving as a British trade envoy in 2010.
Emails released by the U.S. Justice Department as part of the Epstein files appear to show Mountbatten-Windsor forwarding sensitive trade reports to Epstein just minutes after receiving them — reports about official visits to Singapore, Hong Kong, and other countries.
Police searched two properties connected to the former prince: his previous home at Royal Lodge in Windsor and his current residence on the Sandringham Estate. He has not been charged with a crime but remains under investigation. In the United Kingdom, misconduct in public office is a serious offense that carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Mountbatten-Windsor has denied all wrongdoing related to Epstein and has not commented publicly on the misconduct allegations.
A Family Reckoning
King Charles III, Andrew’s older brother, released a statement expressing his “deepest concern” and stressing that “the law must take its course.”
He pledged the royal family’s “wholehearted support and co-operation” with the investigation — a remarkable statement given that it effectively endorses the criminal investigation of his own brother.
Charles had already taken the extraordinary step of stripping Andrew of his royal title last October and forcing him out of Royal Lodge.
The arrest represents the culmination of a years-long fall from grace for the queen’s once-favorite son — a descent that began with his catastrophic 2019 BBC interview about his relationship with Epstein and has only accelerated since.
“He Was Never a Prince”
For the family of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, the arrest brought a bittersweet sense of justice. Giuffre, who died by suicide in 2025, had spent years publicly accusing the former prince of sexually assaulting her when she was 17 years old.
He denied those allegations and settled a civil lawsuit with Giuffre in 2022 without admitting wrongdoing.
Her siblings released a statement that cut through the formality of the moment: “At last, today, our broken hearts have been lifted at the news that no one is above the law, not even royalty. He was never a prince. For survivors everywhere, Virginia did this for you.”
Maria Farmer, one of the first people to report Epstein’s abuse to law enforcement back in 1996, called the arrest “just the beginning of accountability and justice brought forth by Virginia Roberts Giuffre — a young mother who adored her daughter so deeply, she fought the most powerful on earth to protect her.”
These words carry a weight that cannot be overstated. For decades, the survivors of Epstein’s abuse network were ignored, silenced, and dismissed.
Many of them were children when the abuse occurred. That the legal system is now reaching people who once seemed untouchable is a testament to their courage and refusal to be erased.
The Question America Must Answer
While Britain moved forward with an arrest, the contrast with the United States could not be sharper.
Democratic lawmakers were quick to point out the disparity. Rep. Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts said plainly: “Great Britain is holding its powerful and privileged to account. The United States of America should do the same.”
Rep. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico wrote on social media: “If a Prince can be held accountable, so can a President.”
President Trump, who was himself a former friend of Epstein and has appeared in photographs alongside the convicted sex offender, called Andrew’s arrest “a shame” and “very sad” for the royal family — without mentioning Epstein’s victims.
When asked whether associates of Epstein could face arrest in the United States, Trump replied: “Well, you know, I’m the expert in a way, because I’ve been totally exonerated. That’s very nice.”
The Trump administration’s Justice Department had to be compelled by Congress through the Epstein Files Transparency Act to release the documents that ultimately led to this arrest.
The Epstein files have also triggered criminal investigations in Norway and Poland, and a separate probe into former British ambassador Peter Mandelson. Yet in America — where Epstein operated, where his victims suffered, and where his powerful friends circled — there have been zero arrests.
Even some Republicans have broken ranks. Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene criticized the lack of U.S. action, writing: “The UK has arrested Andrew because of the Epstein files and over here… we have zero Epstein related arrest and investigations since release of the files.”
A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 69 percent of Americans agree that the Epstein files show powerful people in the U.S. are rarely held accountable for their actions.
Justice Delayed Is Justice Denied
The arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is not the end of this story. It is, as survivors and their advocates have said, just the beginning. The real question is whether the rest of the world — and especially the United States — will follow Britain’s example.
The survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse network deserve more than a news cycle. They deserve truth. They deserve accountability. And they deserve to see every person who enabled, participated in, or looked the other way finally face the consequences of their choices.
Virginia Giuffre is not here to see this moment. But her fight made it possible. The least we can do is make sure it was not in vain.
