Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was taken into custody on Thursday. He was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The arrest is linked to serious claims that he shared confidential government documents with Jeffrey Epstein.

Detectives from Thames Valley Police questioned him for several hours. Earlier this month, the police confirmed they were investigating whether sensitive documents were passed to the late convicted sex offender during Prince Andrew’s time as a UK trade envoy.

The allegations have once again placed the Duke of York under intense public scrutiny. His past links with Epstein had already damaged his public image. Now, this new development has raised fresh concerns about how government information may have been handled.

Police officials have not shared further details about the nature of the documents. However, the investigation is being closely watched both in Britain and abroad. The timing of the arrest, coinciding with his 66th birthday, has made the case even more dramatic.

The royal family has not issued an immediate statement regarding the arrest. Analysts say this case could have wider implications for the monarchy’s public reputation.

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This development could deepen the crisis around Prince Andrew. Public trust may face another serious test. The investigation will likely decide the next chapter in this high-profile controversy.

"Following a thorough assessment, we have now opened an investigation into this allegation of misconduct in public office," Thames Valley's Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright said in a statement.

"We understand the significant public interest in this case, and we will provide updates at the appropriate time."

The former prince, the second son of the late Queen Elizabeth, who is in police custody, 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 mass release of documents by the U.S. government. Mountbatten-Windsor's office did not respond to a request for comment.

He becomes the first senior royal to have been arrested in this manner, and presents his elder brother with the biggest scandal of his reign.

"I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office," King Charles said in a statement, adding the authorities had the royals' "full and wholehearted support and cooperation".

"Let me state clearly: the law must take its course. As this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter. Meanwhile, my family and I will continue in our duty and service to you all."

British media published pictures of six unmarked police cars and around eight plain-clothed officers who arrived at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate in eastern England where Mountbatten-Windsor now lives.

Thames Valley Police said officers were also searching a property in Berkshire, where the royal used to live on the king's Windsor estate until he was forced out amid anger at the Epstein revelations.

While being arrested means that police have reasonable suspicion that a crime has been committed and that the royal is suspected of involvement in an offence, it does not imply guilt.

A conviction for misconduct in a public office carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, and must be dealt with in a Crown Court, which only deals with the most serious criminal offences.

In 2022, the former prince settled a civil lawsuit brought in the United States by the late Virginia Giuffre who accused him of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager. The police investigation is not related to this or any other allegation of sexual impropriety.

The former prince was forced to quit all official royal duties in 2019 over his ties with Epstein and was then stripped by his older brother of his titles and honours last October amid further revelations about their relationship.

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.

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

Were Mountbatten-Windsor to ultimately face criminal charges, he would join a very small group of senior British royals who have formally been accused of offences.

His elder sister Princess Anne was fined for speeding in 2001, and the following year became the first royal to be convicted of a criminal offence in 350 years when she appeared in court to plead guilty to failing to stop one of her dogs, named Dotty, biting two children.

King Charles I was tried for treason in 1649 towards the end of the English Civil War, found guilty and beheaded.

The misconduct investigation is not the only accusation against Mountbatten-Windsor into which police are looking.

Republic has also reported him over allegations he was involved in the trafficking of a woman to Britain for sex in 2010. Thames Valley Police said the force was assessing allegations that a woman had been taken to an address in Windsor, where the former prince lived until recently.

Buckingham Palace has previously said it was ready to support any police investigation, saying the king had expressed "profound concern at allegations which continue to come to light in respect of Mr Mountbatten-Windsor's conduct".

"Their majesties' thoughts and sympathies have been, and remain with, the victims of any and all forms of abuse," the palace said.

Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has also called for a police investigation into the extent of Epstein trafficking women without proper checks by the authorities through London's Stansted Airport, saying this had been overlooked by previous inquiries into Mountbatten-Windsor.

Essex police said on Wednesday it was looking into the issue.