How former Prince Andrew’s Epstein ties became his undoing

Former Prince Andrew is spending his birthday in police custody over his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested Thursday by U.K. police on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The arrest, which came on the disgraced royal’s 66th birthday, is not connected to Epstein’s sex crimes.

• King Charles III responds to arrest of Prince Andrew
• Read the police statement in full

British police previously said they were “assessing” allegations that Epstein received confidential government reports from the former prince in 2010 when Andrew served as Britain’s special envoy for international trade.

Andrew has consistently denied any wrongdoing in connection with his longstanding friendship with Epstein, who reportedly died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges in the U.S. The well-connected American financier became a registered sex offender following a 2008 plea deal in Florida for state charges over soliciting a minor for prostitution.

While Andrew has not been charged with a crime, he is the first senior British royal to be arrested since the 17th century, when King Charles I was convicted and beheaded for high treason.

From Queen Elizabeth II’s beloved second son to ostracized royal pariah, this is how Andrew fell from grace.

Military service and trade role

Born on Feb. 19, 1960, Andrew was the second son and third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. He was reportedly his mother’s favourite child.

With his older brother Charles destined for the British throne, Andrew embarked on 22 years of military service, which included combat operations as a helicopter pilot during the Falklands War in 1982.

• Epstein files explained: Who’s named, what’s redacted, and where to find them

Concerns over Andrew’s links to Epstein have dogged the Royal Family for more than a decade.

After Andrew became Britain’s special representative for international trade and investment in 2001, he was forced to step down from the role in 2011 after reports began to emerge about his friendship with Epstein, who spent 18 months in prison after the 2008 plea deal.

The current police investigation stems from the recent release of millions of pages of Epstein files, which included emails that suggest Andrew shared confidential U.K. government trade reports from an official 2010 tour of Southeast Asia.

“It’s important to stress that this arrest is on suspicion, it’s not a charge,” CTV News Royal Commentator Afua Hagan said on Thursday. “Andrew has continuously and strenuously denied all the allegations against him.”

BBC interview debacle

After Epstein was arrested again in 2019, Andrew tried to downplay and defend his relationship with Epstein in a disastrous interview with the BBC that would irreparably damage his public image.

In the interview, Andrew claimed he broke off contact with Epstein in December 2020. It would later be revealed that they remained in communication months past that date. The then-prince was also widely criticized for failing to show empathy for Epstein’s victims.

Following backlash from the BBC interview, Andrew stepped away from royal duties and official charitable work.

Virginia Giuffre allegations

Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre sued Andrew in 2021, alleging that he had sex with her when she was only 17 and a minor under U.S. law. While Andrew denied the allegations, he settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed sum estimated to be as much as US$10 million.

Following news of the lawsuit, Buckingham Palace announced that Andrew was renouncing his military affiliations and charitable patronages, which included roles in Canadian military regiments and organizations.

Giuffre died by suicide in April 2025. In a posthumous book, Giuffre alleged that she was forced to have sex with Andrew on three occasions. Those allegations were also part of the federal investigation into Epstein in 2019.

New documents emerge

In October 2025, a new email emerged that showed Andrew remained in contact with Epstein until at least February 2011, well after Epstein became a convicted sex offender. At the time, Andrew allegedly told Epstein that “we are in this together” and expressed a wish to “play some more soon.”

The revelation led to King Charles III stripping his brother of his princely title while also evicting him from his royal mansion near Windsor Castle, where Andrew had lived for more than two decades. Earlier this month, Andrew moved into a smaller property on the King’s Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, where he was arrested on Thursday.

“There were reporters and cameras already there because today was his birthday,” Hagan said. “People anticipating possibly a visit from his daughters … but instead what they got was these quite official looking cars pulling up, unmarked police cars, detectives getting out of them.”

The recent Epstein files release from the U.S. Department of Justice included a photograph of Andrew crouching over a motionless woman in what appears to be Epstein’s New York apartment. There were also emails to Epstein from Andrew’s former wife Sarah Ferguson, who has acknowledged their friendship but denied any wrongdoing.

Now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former prince is still eighth in line to the throne.

With files from The Associated Press