Topline
A judge in the U.K. found the search warrants used by police to access the properties of former Prince Andrew used the incorrect legislation and were unlawful, a legal victory for the disgraced former royal under investigation for misconduct in public office related to his ties to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is seen leaving a police station following his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in a public office.
GC Images
Key Facts
A court in London on Thursday found the search warrants used by the Thames Valley Police to search Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s properties at Sandringham estate were issued incorrectly and must be quashed.
Judge Nicholas Hilliard told the courtroom at London’s Central Criminal Court, also known as the Old Bailey, investigators made a “significant error” in the process of applying and granting the search warrants for the investigation, the New York Times reported.
In a statement on Thursday, a spokesperson for the Thames Valley Police said it accepted the court’s decision and that it was “not a judgement on our ongoing investigation.”
Mountbatten-Windsor challenged the legality of the search warrants earlier this week, about eight months after he was arrested as part of the misconduct in public office investigation opened after the release of the Epstein files.
What to Watch For
It is currently unclear how investigators will be able to use any evidence gathered during the searches of Mountbatten-Windsor’s properties. “Legal proceedings are currently ongoing to decide how material seized during the searches will be managed and whether we can lawfully retain it in support of our ongoing investigation,” the Thames Valley Police said on Thursday. “Our investigation into alleged misconduct in public office by a man in his 60s from Norfolk remains ongoing, and we continue to pursue all reasonable lines of enquiry to effectively and fairly progress this investigation.”
Key Background
Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested in February during the investigation into possible misconduct in public office. The former prince has been tied to Epstein, the disgraced financier who died in jail awaiting trial in 2019, for years. Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre accused Mountbatten-Windsor of raping her at a house in London, and the former royal settled a lawsuit brought by the victim for an undisclosed sum reportedly worth between $12-$15 million. Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his royal titles last year, but further ties to Epstein emerged in emails released as part of the Epstein files. He was arrested shortly after this release, which contained emails with Epstein about official trips he took while serving as a trade envoy for the U.K., as well as a confidential briefing about investment opportunities in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province. Mountbatten-Windsor has denied any wrongdoing.
Leave a comment