Former British prince, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public workplace. He was beforehand stripped of his royal titles due to his hyperlinks to convicted intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein. Years later, the previous Prince Andrew is seeing the within of a jail cell over those self same hyperlinks. And to prime it off? His arrest date, Feb. 19, marks his 66th birthday.
RELATED: Whoa! Jeffrey Epstein Recordsdata Start Surfacing As DOJ Releases New Pictures Exhibiting Alleged Excessive-Profile Connections
What Police Have Mentioned About The Former Prince Andrew’s Arrest
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has persistently denied any wrongdoing in his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. Nonetheless, issues in regards to the former prince’s hyperlinks to the late Epstein have dogged the royal household for greater than a decade. Nonetheless, the arrest of a monarch’s brother was a unprecedented growth. The arrest has no precedent in trendy instances and can little doubt put extra strain on the crown.
Thames Valley Police confirmed that officers arrested a person in his 60s from Norfolk, in japanese England, per the Related Press. The company covers areas west of London, together with Mountbatten-Windsor’s former residence. It didn’t determine the suspect, which is commonplace process in Britain. When requested to substantiate if Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested, AP stories that the company pointed to its assertion. For context, Mountbatten-Windsor moved to Charles’ property in Norfolk after he was evicted from his residence close to Windsor Citadel earlier this month.
Policing commentator Danny Shaw instructed the BBC that usually, suspects are held between 12 and 24 hours. At that time, official both press costs or launch suspects pending additional investigation. Absolutely the longest the previous prince could be held for is 96 hours. However this might require a number of extensions from senior law enforcement officials and a Justice of the Peace’s Courtroom. It’s unclear what time Andrew was arrested. AP stories that the previous Prince Andrew will look forward to his police interview in “a cell in a custody suite” with simply “a mattress and a rest room.”
“There’ll be no particular therapy for him,” Shaw mentioned.
How The U.S. Aided In Andrew’s Arrest
Thames Valley Police beforehand mentioned it was “assessing” stories that the previous Prince Andrew despatched confidential commerce stories to Jeffrey Epstein in 2010. At the moment, Andrew was Britain’s particular envoy for worldwide commerce. Native police picked up the stories tip after the U.S. launched thousands and thousands of pages of paperwork final month from the Justice Division’s investigation into Epstein. In these pages, there’s correspondence between Andrew and Jeffrey about mentioned stories and extra.
“Following a radical evaluation, we now have now opened an investigation into this allegation of misconduct in public workplace,” Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright mentioned in an announcement. “We perceive the numerous public curiosity on this case, and we’ll present updates on the acceptable time.”
Police additionally mentioned they had been looking out two properties. The arrest got here after footage circulated on-line that appeared to indicate unmarked police automobiles at Wooden Farm with plainclothes officers gathering exterior. That farm is Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s residence on the Sandringham Property in Norfolk.
King Charles III Speaks Out
After the arrest, King Charles III mentioned the regulation should take its course within the investigation and agreed to cooperate. Additionally, he sought to reassure the British public that he would proceed to serve them.
“Let me state clearly: the regulation should take its course,” the king mentioned. “As this course of continues, it might not be proper for me to remark additional on this matter.” He addressed the British public, saying: “My household and I’ll proceed in our responsibility and repair to you all.”
He signed the assertion Charles R., according to the conference that British monarchs use to signal their names. The R. stands for rex, Latin for king. The late Queen Elizabeth II compelled Mountbatten-Windsor to surrender royal duties and finish his charitable work in 2019. On the time, he tried to elucidate away his ties to Jeffrey Epstein throughout a catastrophic interview with the BBC. However extra particulars in regards to the relationship emerged in a ebook printed final 12 months. In response, Charles stripped him of the suitable to be known as a prince and ordered him to maneuver.
Final week, Buckingham Palace introduced that it was able to cooperate within the occasion of a police inquiry into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s hyperlinks to Jeffrey Epstein. King Charles was compelled to behave after the pages from the U.S. launch revealed the extent of his brother’s relationship with Epstein. That relationship continued lengthy after Epstein pleaded responsible in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution.
Household Of Prince Andrew’s Late Sufferer Reacts To His Arrest
To notice, the allegations being investigated on Thursday are separate from these made by Virginia Giuffre. She beforehand revealed she had been trafficked to Britain to have intercourse with Andrew in 2001, when she was simply 17. Giuffre died by suicide final 12 months. Her household praised the arrest of the previous British Prince, saying:
“Right now, our damaged hearts have been lifted on the information that nobody is above the regulation, not even royalty.” The household added, “He was by no means a prince. For survivors all over the place, Virginia did this for you.”
Craig Prescott, a royal skilled on the College of London, known as the arrest the “most spectacular fall from grace for a member of the royal household in trendy instances.” The final time a senior British royal was arrested was virtually 400 years in the past, through the reign of King Charles I. On the time, there was a rising energy battle between the crown and Parliament. After the king tried to arrest lawmakers within the Home of Commons in 1642, hostilities erupted into the English Civil Battle. That struggle ended with victory for the parliamentary forces of Oliver Cromwell. In the meantime, Charles was arrested, tried, convicted of excessive treason and beheaded in 1649.
RELATED: Russell Wilson Clears The Air After Allegedly Being Named In Newly Launched Jeffrey Epstein Recordsdata
Related Press author Danica Kirka contributed to this report through AP Newsroom.
What Do You Suppose Roomies?
