LONDON — King Charles’ younger brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office over allegations he sent confidential government documents to Jeffrey Epstein.

Thames Valley Police said earlier this month officers were considering allegations that Mountbatten-Windsor had passed documents to the late convicted sex offender, according to files released by the US government.

“Thames Valley Police have opened an investigation into an offence of misconduct in public office,” the force said in a statement on X.

“A man in his sixties from Norfolk has been arrested and remains in police custody. As per national guidance, we will not name the arrested man.”

Unprecedented in Britain’s modern era, the arrest was a new blow for the ousted royal, who was marking his 66th birthday on Thursday.

Mountbatten-Windsor was last year stripped of all his titles, having been forced out of his former home by his brother King Charles III.

Earlier newspapers had reported that six unmarked police cars and around eight plain-clothed officers had arrived at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate in eastern England where Mountbatten-Windsor now lives.

Mountbatten-Windsor had been reported to police by the anti-monarchy campaign group Republic following the release of more than 3 million pages of documents relating to Epstein, who was convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008.

Those files suggested Mountbatten-Windsor had in 2010 forwarded to Epstein reports about Vietnam, Singapore and other places he had visited on official trips. The ex-royal also reportedly sent the American financier details of a trip to Asia — on which he was accompanied by Epstein’s business associates — along with investment opportunities months later.

Thames Valley Police and the Crown Prosecution Service previously said that they were in discussions about the case. Police said allegations of misconduct in public office, which is a “Common Law” offense and so is not covered by written statute legislation, involved “particular complexities.”

The former prince, the second son of the late Queen Elizabeth, has always denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, and said he regrets their friendship. But he has not responded to requests for comment since the latest release of documents.

The former prince was stripped of his titles after one of Epstein’s victims alleged she had been trafficked to have sex with him.

Charles has voiced “concern” over his brother’s actions and last week issued an unprecedented statement noting Buckingham Palace was “ready to support” the police in their inquiries.

Official guidance stipulates trade envoys have a duty of confidentiality over sensitive, commercial or political information related to their official visits, the BBC has said.

Andrew, whose ties to Epstein have caused a spectacular years-long fall from grace, served as a British trade envoy for a decade from 2001.

Police ‘aware’ of report alleging sex assaults on a minor

At least nine separate UK police forces have confirmed they are assessing reports that appear to link the former prince to Epstein.

Police in Surrey, southeastern England, said Wednesday they had become “aware” of a redacted report alleging “human trafficking and sexual assaults on a minor” between 1994 and 1996 in the village of Virginia Water.

The report emerged in the latest tranche of millions of files released by the US justice department from the investigation into Epstein, who died in prison in 2019.

“After reviewing our systems using the limited information available to us, we found no evidence of these allegations being reported to Surrey Police,” its statement read.

“We therefore encourage anyone with information in relation to these allegations to report this to us.”

The statement did not name any individuals involved.

But it comes as high-profile figures, including former UK prime minister Gordon Brown, have urged police to probe dozens of flights dating back decades arriving at UK airports and tied to Epstein.

Writing in the New Statesman magazine last week, Brown said he had been “told privately that the investigations related to the former Prince Andrew did not properly check vital evidence of flights.”

“I have asked the police to look at this as part of the new inquiry,” he stated, adding it appeared “the authorities never knew what was happening.”

London’s Metropolitan police has also launched an investigation into the relationship between the UK’s former ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson, and the disgraced financier.

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