Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, has reportedly been arrested on his 66th birthday following a police operation at his residence on the Sandringham estate, according to reports first published by the Daily Mail.
Sources claim that neither King Charles III nor Buckingham Palace were notified in advance of the arrest.
The reported detention is said to relate to allegations of misconduct in public office. Police confirmed they are assessing a complaint involving the alleged sharing of confidential material with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
According to documents cited in coverage referencing the United States Department of Justice, emails suggest that the former duke circulated summaries of official overseas visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Singapore. One message, dated November 2010, appears to show Mountbatten-Windsor forwarding information just minutes after receiving it from his then-special adviser, Amir Patel. Another email, reportedly sent on Christmas Eve 2010, allegedly included a confidential briefing shared with Epstein outlining investment opportunities connected to reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province.