Former British prince, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsorwas 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.
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What Police Have Stated 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 rare 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 jap England, per the Related Press. The company covers areas west of London, together with Mountbatten-Windsor’s former dwelling. It didn’t establish the suspect, which is customary 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 dwelling close to Windsor Fort earlier this month.
Policing commentator Danny Shaw instructed the BBC that generally, suspects are held between 12 and 24 hours. At that time, official both press expenses or launch suspects pending additional investigation. Absolutely the longest the previous prince may be held for is 96 hours. However this may 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 await his police interview in “a cell in a custody suite” with simply “a mattress and a rest room.”
“There’ll be no particular remedy for him,” Shaw stated.
How The U.S. Aided In Andrew’s Arrest
Thames Valley Police beforehand stated 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 stated stories and extra.
“Following a radical evaluation, we’ve got now opened an investigation into this allegation of misconduct in public workplace,” Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright stated in a press release. “We perceive the numerous public curiosity on this case, and we are going to present updates on the acceptable time.”
Police additionally stated they have been looking out two properties. The arrest got here after photos circulated on-line that appeared to point out unmarked police vehicles at Wooden Farm with plainclothes officers gathering exterior. That farm is Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s dwelling on the Sandringham Property in Norfolk.
King Charles III Speaks Out
After the arrest, King Charles III stated the legislation 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 legislation should take its course,” the king stated. “As this course of continues, it will 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., in step with the conference that British monarchs use to signal their names. The R. stands for rex, Latin for king. The late Queen Elizabeth II pressured Mountbatten-Windsor to surrender royal duties and finish his charitable work in 2019. On the time, he tried to clarify away his ties to Jeffrey Epstein throughout a catastrophic interview with the BBC. However extra particulars in regards to the relationship emerged in a e book revealed final 12 months. In response, Charles stripped him of the best to be referred to 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 pressured 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:
“At present, our damaged hearts have been lifted on the information that nobody is above the legislation, not even royalty.” The household added, “He was by no means a prince. For survivors in every single place, Virginia did this for you.”
Craig Prescott, a royal professional on the College of London, referred to 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, in the course of the reign of King Charles I. On the time, there was a rising energy wrestle 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 Warfare. 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.
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Related Press author Danica Kirka contributed to this report by way of AP Newsroom.
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