Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor: Ex-prince accuses officers of taking personal items amid legal action against cops
The disgraced former prince engaged lawyers after detectives searched his Norfolk home as part of a criminal investigation into his alleged links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor has accused Thames Valley Police officers of seizing personal items unrelated to a criminal investigation during raids at his home in February.
The disgraced former prince engaged lawyers after detectives searched his Norfolk home on the morning of his 66th birthday as part of a criminal investigation into his alleged links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, The Telegraph reports.
Police searched Marsh Farm and Royal Lodge for several days, removing documents and other material as part of the probe.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.The disgraced former prince’s lawyers are understood to be challenging the validity of the search warrants, which were issued by an Old Bailey Judge following an application from Thames Valley Police.
As part of that challenge, his legal team is claiming officers conducting the search warrants removed private and confidential material from his home that was not connected to the investigation.
If the High Court rules in Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s favour, the force could be ordered to return material seized during the searches.
The judicial review marks an extraordinary legal challenge after Mr Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested following the raids and taken to Aylsham Police Station, where he was questioned for almost 12 hours on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
He was subsequently released under investigation.
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor sought permission for the judicial review earlier this year and a High Court Judge subsequently granted the application.
A private hearing is due to take place at the High Court later this week over whether certain documents connected to the case should be made public.
The investigation began after materials from the Epstein files appeared to suggest Mr Mountbatten-Windsor may have passed sensitive information to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during his time as the UK’s trade envoy between 2001 and 2011.
Among the allegations are claims that he forwarded reports to Mr Epstein concerning visits to Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam and China, as well as a confidential briefing note concerning investment opportunities in Afghanistan’s Helmand province.
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor is being investigated over suspected misconduct in public office, a complex common-law offence involving the alleged abuse of official power for some form of advantage.
However, the investigation faces potential difficulties after the US Department of Justice declined to provide redacted versions of the Epstein files.
A formal request for access to the material could take more than a year to process, with no certainty that US authorities will approve it.
Thames Valley Police also extended the investigation in May to include allegations of sexual misconduct and appealed publicly for anyone with relevant information to contact detectives.
The judicial review does not determine whether Mr Mountbatten-Windsor committed any offence; instead, it will examine the lawfulness of police action underpinning the searches and wider investigation.
