What to know about the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor

LONDON (AP) — The brother of King Charles III, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office in connection with his close relationship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

His arrest Thursday follows years of allegations over his links with Epstein, who took his own life in a New York prison in 2019. The accusation at the heart of his arrest is that Mountbatten-Windsor, who was previously known as Prince Andrew until October when his brother stripped him of his titles and honors, shared confidential trade information with the disgraced financier.

It is one of the gravest crises to affect the House of Windsor since its establishment more than a hundred years ago. Arguably, only the abdication of King Edward VIII in 1936 and the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997 have been graver for the institution of the British monarchy.

Here’s what to know:

Mountbatten-Windsor, 66, was taken into custody Thursday morning by officers from Thames Valley Police at King Charles III's private retreat in Sandringham, where the former prince is now living.

The arrest follows a ratcheting up of allegations against Mountbatten-Windsor in the wake of the release of millions of pages of files last month related to Epstein by the U.S. Justice Department.

Many of the recent allegations center on sexual impropriety on the part of Mountbatten-Windsor, specifically that a woman was trafficked to the U.K. by Epstein to have a sexual encounter with the then-prince.

However, he has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

The Crown Prosecution Service, which decides on whether a charge has the potential to lead to a successful prosecution, defines misconduct in public office as the “serious willful abuse or neglect of the power or responsibilities of the public office held.”

Thames Valley Police said it was “assessing” reports that Mountbatten-Windsor sent confidential trade reports to Epstein in 2010, when the former prince was Britain’s special envoy for international trade.

Specifically, emails released as part of the Epstein files appeared to show Mountbatten-Windsor sharing reports of official visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore.

One email, dated November 2010, appeared to be forwarded by Andrew five minutes after he had been sent it. In another, on Christmas Eve 2010, he appeared to send Epstein a confidential brief on investment opportunities in the reconstruction of Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

Other police forces in the U.K. are also conducting their own investigations into Mountbatten-Windsor’s Epstein-related links.

The offense technically carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, but experts say a shorter term would be more likely if he is convicted by a jury.

Mountbatten-Windsor has always denied any impropriety but has not commented on the most recent allegations.

Experts said that proving misconduct in a public office is notoriously difficult to prove.

“Firstly, it must be determined if Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was in a role within government that constitutes the title of public officer," said Sean Caulfield, a criminal defense lawyer at Hodge Jones & Allen.

In recent years, prison officers have been prosecuted for the offense after having inappropriate relationships with inmates, as well as police officers leaking information.

Police have the power to search Mountbatten-Windsor's properties, and formal questions can now be put to him during interviews. Under UK law, police can hold a suspect without charging them for up to 24 hours from the time of arrest. This can be extended to a maximum of 96 hours.

The police can then release Mountbatten-Windsor on bail if there’s not enough evidence to charge him.

It is unclear where exactly Mountbatten-Windsor is being questioned, but he is likely to have had his mug shot taken before heading into the confines of a small interview room. If he hasn’t got a lawyer, then police would offer one. The lawyer may advise Mountbatten-Windsor to say “no comment” to each question as is his right.

Searches are being carried out at addresses in Berkshire, west of London, and Norfolk, northeast of the capital. Windsor Castle, within which Mountbatten-Windsor lived until earlier this month, is in Berkshire, while Sandringham is in Norfolk.

The Crown Prosecution Service will need to make a decision about charging him.

Andrew Gilmore, a partner at Grosvenor Law, said that prosecutors will apply the two-stage test known as the “Code for Crown Prosecutors."

“That test is to determine whether there is a more realistic prospect of a conviction than not based on the evidence and whether the matter is in the public interest,” he said. “If these two tests are met, then the matter will be charged and proceed to court.”

Mountbatten-Windsor's arrest is not a huge surprise, but it is a consequential moment in the history of the modern monarchy. Mountbatten-Windsor, who was second in line to the throne at his birth, remains eighth in the line of succession. He could abdicate his position, or a law could be passed to remove him from the line of succession.

You have to go back to the arrest of King Charles I almost 400 years for an example of a senior British royal being arrested. That turned into a seismic moment in British history, leading to revolution, Charles' beheading and the temporary abolition of the monarchy.

After Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest Thursday, King Charles III said that the law must take its course in the investigation as he sought to distance the royal family from his brother.

“As this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter," the king said in a statement signed Charles R. "My family and I will continue in our duty and service to you all.’’

Both the king and his wife, Queen Camilla, faced questions over Mountbatten-Windsor at their respective events in London, but neither responded.

Mountbatten-Windsor's former wife, Sarah Ferguson, has yet to comment. She has faced her own allegations in connection with her dealings with Epstein.

Visitors walk the long walk at Windsor Castle in Windsor, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026 after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested by British police on suspicion of misconduct in public office. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

FILE - From left, Britain's Prince Andrew, Queen Elizabeth, Meghan Duchess of Sussex, Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Kate Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William attend the annual Trooping the Colour Ceremony in London, Saturday, June 9, 2018.(AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)

FILE - Prince Andrew leaves after attending the Christmas day service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham in Norfolk, England, Dec. 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

FILE - Prince Andrew leaves St. Giles Cathedral after the arrival of the coffin containing the remains of his mother Queen Elizabeth, in Edinburgh, Scotland, Sept. 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek, File)

Visitors stand at the gates of Buckingham Palace in London, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026 after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been arrested by British police on suspicion of misconduct in public office. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Visitors pose for pictures in front of Buckingham Palace in London, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026 after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been arrested by British police on suspicion of misconduct in public office. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

A camera man films a police officer guarding the entrance to Churchyard of the Sandringham Royal Estate in Sandringham, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026 after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been arrested by British police on suspicion of misconduct in public office. (AP Photo/Matthew Kemp)

Reporters stand in front of Buckingham Palace in London, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026 after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested by British police on suspicion of misconduct in public office. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran held annual military drills with Russia on Thursday as a second American aircraft carrier drew closer to the Middle East, with both the United States and Iran signaling they are prepared for war if talks on Tehran's nuclear program fizzle out.

President Donald Trump has said he hopes to reach a deal with Iran, but the talks have been deadlocked for years, and Iran has refused to discuss wider U.S. and Israeli demands that it scale back its missile program and sever ties to armed groups. Indirect talks held in recent weeks made little visible progress, and one or both sides could be buying time for final war preparations.

Iran’s theocracy is more vulnerable than ever, following 12 days of Israeli and U.S. strikes on its nuclear sites and military last year, as well as mass protests in January that were violently suppressed. But it is still capable of striking Israel and U.S. bases in the region, and has warned that any attack would trigger a regional war.

Iran earlier this week launched a drill that involved live-fire in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow opening of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of the world's traded oil passes.

The movements of additional American warships and airplanes, with the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier near the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea, don't guarantee a U.S. strike on Iran — but it bolsters Trump's ability to carry out one should he choose to do so.

He has so far held off on striking Iran after setting red lines over the killing of peaceful protesters and mass executions, while reengaging in nuclear talks that were disrupted by the war in June.

The Iranian delegation to indirect talks held on Tuesday said they would present more detailed proposals in the next two weeks to narrow gaps, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Trump warned on social media that if Iran doesn’t make a deal, the U.S. might have to “eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous Regime.”

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged his nation's citizens to immediately leave Iran as “within a few, a dozen, or even a few dozen hours, the possibility of evacuation will be out of the question.” He did not elaborate, and the Polish Embassy in Tehran did not appear to be drawing down its staff.

The German military said that it had moved “a mid-two digit number of non-mission critical personnel” out of a base in northern Iraq because of the current situation in the region and in line with its partners’ actions. It said that some troops remain to help keep the multinational camp running in Irbil, where they train Iraqi forces.

“This week, another 50 U.S. combat aircraft — F-35s, F-22s, and F-16s — were ordered to the region, supplementing the hundreds deployed to bases in the Arab Gulf states,” the New York-based Soufan Center think tank wrote. “The deployments reinforce Trump’s threat — restated on a nearly daily basis — to proceed with a major air and missile campaign on the regime if talks fail.”

Tensions are also rising inside Iran, as mourners hold ceremonies honoring slain protesters 40 days after their killing by security forces. Some of the gatherings have included anti-government chants, despite threats from authorities.

Iranian forces and Russian sailors conducted the annual drills in the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean aimed at “upgrading operational coordination as well as exchange of military experiences,” Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported.

Footage later released by Iran showed members of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard's naval special forces board a vessel in the exercise. Those forces are believed to have been used in the past to seize vessels in key international waterways.

Iran also issued a rocket-fire warning to pilots in the region, suggesting it planned to launch anti-ship missiles in the exercise.

Meanwhile, tracking data showed the Ford off the coast of Morocco in the Atlantic Ocean midday Wednesday, meaning the carrier could transit through Gibraltar and potentially station in the eastern Mediterranean with its supporting guided-missile destroyers.

Once it arrives in the region, it would be able to help protect Israel and Jordan if war breaks out. The U.S. used similar assets to protect Israel during recent confrontations linked to the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

Israel is making its own preparations for possible Iranian missile strikes in response to any U.S. action.

“We are prepared for any scenario,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday, adding that if Iran attacks Israel, “they will experience a response they cannot even imagine.”

Netanyahu long has pushed for tougher U.S. action against Iran and says any deal should not only end its nuclear program but curb its missile arsenal and force it to cut ties with militant groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.

Iran has said the current talks should only focus on its nuclear program, and that it hasn't been enriching uranium since the U.S. and Israeli strikes last summer. Trump said at the time that the strikes had “obliterated” Iran's nuclear sites, but the exact damage is unknown as Tehran has barred international inspectors.

Iran has always insisted its nuclear program is peaceful, while the U.S. and others suspect it is aimed at eventually developing weapons. Israel is widely believed to have nuclear weapons but has neither confirmed nor denied that.

Iranians are meanwhile marking the symbolic 40 days since the killing of protesters in January, with some memorials in Tehran's massive Behesht-e Zahra cemetery including anti-government chants and nationalistic songs, according to witnesses and social media videos.

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 at Tehran’s historic Grand Bazaar, initially over the collapse of Iran’s currency, then spread across the country. Tensions exploded on Jan. 8, with demonstrations called for by Iran’s exiled crown prince, Reza Pahlavi.

Iran's government says 3,117 people were killed. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous rounds of unrest in Iran, puts the death toll at over 7,000, with many more feared dead.

The Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights warned Thursday that at least 26 people detained over the protests have received death sentences. It fears others may receive similar sentences — which have been a red line for Trump.

Associated Press writers Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran; Claudia Ciobanu in Warsaw, Poland; Geir Moulson in Berlin; and Michelle L. Price, Darlene Superville and Konstantin Toropin in Washington contributed to this report.

People pray at the graves of Iranian soldiers who were killed during 1980-88 Iraq-Iran war, in downtown Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaks during a bilateral meeting between Switzerland and Iran, in Geneva, Switzerland, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026 (Cyril Zingaro/Keystone via AP)

In this image provided by Sepahnews of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard on Feb. 16, 2026, shows troops standing at attention during the guard's drill in the Persian Gulf on Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (Sepahnews via AP)

This image provided Thursday Feb. 19, 2026 by the Iranian military and dated Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2025, shows navy ships conducting operations during a join drill by Iranian and Russian forces in the Indian Ocean. (Masoud Nazari Mehrabi/Iranian Army via AP)

This image provided Thursday Feb. 19, 2026 by the Iranian military and dand dated Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2025, shows navy ships conducting operations during a join drill by Iranian and Russian forces in the Indian Ocean.(Masoud Nazari Mehrabi/Iranian Army via AP)

This image provided Thursday Feb. 19, 2026 by the Iranian military and dated Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2025, shows navy ships conducting operations during a join drill by Iranian and Russian forces in the Indian Ocean.(Masoud Nazari Mehrabi/Iranian Army via AP)

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a joint news conference with Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest, Hungary, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)

FILE - In this photo provided by the U.S. Navy, the USS Gerald R. Ford embarked on the first of its sea trials to test various state-of-the-art systems on its own power for the first time, April 8, 2017, from Newport News, Va. (Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ridge Leoni/U.S. Navy via AP, File)