EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) — Scotland coach Gregor Townsend expects Duhan van der Merwe and Blair Kinghorn to be hungry to prove themselves after their recall for the Six Nations trip to Wales this weekend.
The British and Irish Lions backs were dropped for the first two rounds against Italy and England without controversy, due to lacking form and composure in the autumn rugby tests.
Along with another Lion, winger Darcy Graham, they were Scotland's regular back three. But Scotland started a Six Nations match without at least one of the three for the first time since 2019.
Their replacements failed to click in the opening 18-15 loss to Italy in Rome but repaid Townsend’s faith in the one-sided 31-20 win over England last weekend at Murrayfield. While training in Spain this week the coach has brought the old gang back together for a game Scotland is heavily favored to win on Saturday.
Graham came off the bench in both matches and is in the reserves again. He remains second on Scotland's all-time leading try-scorer list, one behind van der Merwe's 35.
Scotland goes after a fourth straight win against Wales, which hasn’t won a Six Nations match anywhere in two years and is coming off a short six-day turnaround. The way Wales has fallen off tackles — 31 against France last Sunday — suggests there will be gaps and room to attack for runners like van der Merwe and Kinghorn.
“Blair was back playing on Sunday night for Toulouse so it's good to get an outlet when you've not been selected,” Townsend said at the team announcement on Thursday. "He's recovered quickly.
"Duhan's trained really well and very much been part of our squad, so there'll be a freshness around both of them coming back in and huge determination to play well.
“For those players that have been in our squad for a few years (getting dropped will) be tough for them to take. They understand the reasons why we had different selections going into our opening two games. And now they have an opportunity to represent their country again.”
Graham has four tries against Wales, van der Merwe has two tries from the last visit to Cardiff in 2024, and Kinghorn has three tries, including two in last year's 35-29 home win.
AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby
FILE - Scotland's Duhan van der Merwe, left, holds off England's Marcus Smith during the Six Nations rugby union match between England and Scotland at Twickenham in London, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Walton, File)
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)
