Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor

INTELLIGENCE SUMMARY

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (formerly Prince Andrew, Duke of York) was arrested on February 19, 2026 — his 66th birthday — on suspicion of misconduct in public office, stemming from Epstein files revelations that he allegedly shared confidential British government documents with Jeffrey Epstein while serving as UK trade envoy in 2010–2011. Thames Valley Police released him after 11 hours 'under investigation,' meaning he is neither charged nor exonerated. Specific documents at issue include official trade reports from his visits to Singapore, Hong Kong, and Vietnam forwarded to Epstein 'just minutes after he received them,' and a 'confidential brief' on Afghanistan investment opportunities shared in December 2010. The Crown Prosecution Service will apply a two-stage test to determine whether charges should be brought; legal analysts note the offense is 'notoriously difficult to prove.' This arrest is historically unprecedented — the first of a senior British royal in nearly 400 years. It follows a cascade of prior accountability measures: in October 2025 Andrew voluntarily relinquished the Duke of York title and royal honors; in November 2025 King Charles formally stripped him of the title of Prince, the HRH designation, and the Duke of York dukedom by royal proclamation in The Gazette, and evicted him from Royal Lodge. Andrew had previously settled a civil lawsuit with Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre in 2022 for approximately $16 million, while consistently denying her allegations. As of February 20, 2026, the UK government is also considering parliamentary legislation to remove him from the line of succession.