Andrew is arrested in bombshell raids on Windsor and Sandringham properties: Live updates

Onlookers said a group of eight people were in plain clothes ‘but appeared to be police officers’ when several unmarked cars arrived in Sandringham just after 8am.

One man appeared to be carrying a police-issue laptop.

Andrew is staying at Sandringham after being evicted by his older brother from Royal Lodge in Windsor following the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

Police popped up at Sandringham as Sir Keir Starmer claimed ‘nobody is above the law’ in the UK and nine UK police forces assess whether to launch investigations into Epstein-related allegations including human trafficking and sexual assault.

Andrew is yet to be spoken to by detectives are assessing a range of allegations related to sex trafficking and misconduct in public office and sex trafficking. But his brother King Charles said he stands ready to help the police with their inquiries.

The Queen’s second son may have passed sensitive information to Epstein in his role as a UK trade envoy. There are also claims he may have smuggled a woman into Buckingham Palace who may have been trafficked into Britain on Epstein’s ‘Lolita Express’ jet.

Andrew denies any wrongdoing.

Detectives investigating whether Andrew may committed misconduct in public office will no doubt examine his time as UK trade envoy between 2001 and 2011.

In his role, Andrew travelled the world and enjoyed priviliged access to senior government and business contacts.

But emails disclosed in the latest Epstein files release have led to claims he may have shared sensitive information with the paedophile financier.

Emails released by the US Department of Justice appeared to show the former duke 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 being sent by his then-special adviser Amir Patel.

Another, on Christmas Eve 2010, appeared to send Epstein a confidential brief on investment opportunities in the reconstruction of Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the eighth in line to the throne, is the first senior royal in modern history to be arrested.

Here’s everything you need to know about what will happen next:

• Having been taken into police custody – although there is no mention of where he is – the former Duke of York will no doubt be questioned by officers today
• Before and during any interview, he will be able to seek legal advice and have a lawyer present
• He can be held by police for up to 24 hours without charge, although police can apply for extensions to this limit up to an absolute maximum of 96 hours
• Anything Andrew does say during interview can be sent to the CPS as part of the force’s case, once investigators have finished gathering evidence
• It is the CPS who will then decide whether the royal will be charged with any offence
• Misconduct in public office is classed as one of the most serious offences in British law, carrying a maximum sentence of life in prison
• But Andrew will only face this if he is charged, tried and convicted in a court of law

Questions are mounting over Sarah Ferguson’s future after her ex-husband Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested at Sandringham today.

The former Duchess of York, 66, has been lying low amid growing outrage over her ties to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and was last seen spending time with friends in the French Alps before moving on to the United Arab Emirates.

She has also been spending time with her youngest daughter, Princess Eugenie, 35, who has been in the region for work, attending an art fair in Doha, Qatar, in her role as a director at dealer Hauser and Wirth.

Fergie has, along with her former husband Andrew, become a pariah in Britain and her future remains a mystery.

Until recently they continued to live together at Royal Lodge, Andrew’s vast Windsor mansion, a staggering three decades after their split, with Fergie once describing them as ‘the happiest divorced couple in the world’.

But her future was plunged into further uncertainty today after Andrew, the eighth in line to the British throne who turns 66 today, was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in a public office and is being held in custody.

Across the UK, nine police forces have confirmed they are assessing whether to launch investigations into Epstein-related allegations

Here’s a quick rundown of them:

• Metropolitan Police

Examining claims that royal protection officers ‘turned a blind eye’ during visits to Epstein’s private island and separate claims Peter Mandelson passed sensitive information

• Surrey Police

Seeking information regarding an allegation made in Virginia Water in the 1990s

• Thames Valley Police

assessing claims that Epstein sent a young woman to the UK for a sexual encounter with Andrew at Royal Lodge in 2010

• Essex Police

assessing information which suggests Epstein trafficked sex victims to the UK via Stansted airport

• Bedfordshire Police

assessing Epstein’s use of London Luton Airport

• Police Scotland

asking for information about Epstein’s use of Edinburgh Airport

• West Midlands Police

assessing Epstein’s use of Birmingham Airport

• Wiltshire Police

reviewing its records and supporting the Met Police in its investigation.

• Norfolk Constabulary

reviewing Epstein files but have not received specific allegations

Watch the Daily Mail’s Andrew Pierce explain whether Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor could become the first royal to go to prison.

It comes following his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office as police forces investigate the Epstein files.

See his video below:

Detectives have been probing the former Duke of York’s conduct while he served as a UK trade envoy as emails released in the Epstein files suggested he shared confidential information with his paedophile friend.

Andrew, who celebrates his 66th birthday today, was also pictured in the Epstein files kneeling over a young women.

The royal is also being urged to give evidence to the US congressional investigation into Epstein, who died in prison in 2019.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast today, Sir Keir Starmer said:

Anybody who has any information should testify.

So whether it’s Andrew or anybody else, anybody who has got relevant information should come forward to whatever the relevant body is, in this particular case we’re talking about Epstein, but there are plenty of other cases.

Thames Valley Police previously said the force was reviewing allegations that a woman was trafficked to the UK by Jeffrey Epstein to have a sexual encounter with Andrew, and claims he shared sensitive information with the paedophile while serving as the UK’s trade envoy.

Searches are being carried out at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk, the force said.

Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright said:

Following a thorough assessment, we have now opened an investigation into this allegation of misconduct in public office.

It is important that we protect the integrity and objectivity of our investigation as we work with our partners to investigate this alleged offence.

We understand the significant public interest in this case, and we will provide updates at the appropriate time.

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

Police have today been seen at Sandringham, where the King’s younger brother, who turns 66 today, is staying.

Six unmarked police cars arrived at King Charles‘ Norfolk estate at just after 8am this morning.

Stick with us for the latest developments on this huge breaking story.