Buckingham Palace ‘will be certain that taxpayers aren’t hit with Andrew’s authorized charges’
Buckingham Palace will ensure the British taxpayer don’t foot the bill for any legal fees incurred by Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor following his unprecedented arrest, it has been claimed.
The King is said to be determined that no taxpayer cash will be used even if the disgraced former prince cannot afford to stump up the money.
In one of the worst days for the Royal Family in modern times, Andrew was detained by Thames Valley Police during a morning raid at his new home on the Sandringham estate at around 8am on Thursday.
The former duke was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office and held in custody for more than 10 hours before being released under investigation.
Now a palace source has said if Andrew cannot afford to pay for his own legal representation, the burden will ‘not fall on the public purse’.
It is unclear what royal money will be used, as the King is also said to not want to pay his younger brother’s bills himself either, having cut Andrew off financially in 2024, The Telegraph reports.
Andrew, who turned 66 on Thursday, was detained by officers at his new home at Wood Farm, where he was effectively exiled after being kicked out of the Royal Lodge in Windsor over his links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. In events that rocked the royal family, he became the first senior royal to be arrested in modern times.
It is understood the former Duke of York was arrested in relation to allegations he passed sensitive information to Epstein while acting as a trade envoy for the British government.
Andrew is pictured leaving Aylsham police station in Norfolk shortly after 7pm on Thursday
The former Duke of York, who appeared to be trying to dodge photographers outside the police station, was in police custody for more than 10 hours after being arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office
Emails released by the US Department of Justice as part of the Epstein files appear to show Andrew sending the convicted sex offender reports of his official visits to other nations among other sensitive information.
His arrest would have come as a huge shock to the royal family, who were not warned in advance, as well as to Andrew himself, who looked stunned as he cowered in the back of a car departing Aylsham police station in Norfolk shortly after 7pm on Thursday.
It has been suggested tonight that the man Andrew may turn to in a bid to defend himself from the allegations could be Gary Bloxsome, a solicitor specialising in criminal matters.
Mr Bloxsome was first taken on by Andrew in 2020, when questions were circling about his relationship with Epstein.
He is now viewed by many as his closest confidant and has stuck by the eighth-in-line to the throne ever since.
A source told the paper: ‘Who else could he [Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor] possibly call on? He’s a criminal lawyer. This is Gary’s speciality, there is no better man for the job.’
While in police custody, Andrew would have been able to access legal representation of his choice. It is not known who, if anyone, he called upon.
After spending some 11 hours in police custody, the royal, who has been stripped of all his titles and privileges by his older brother King Charles, was seen looking drawn and shocked as he was driven back to his Sandringham home.
Aerial pictures show the scene at Royal Lodge, on the Windsor estate, on Thursday after Andrew was taken into custody
It has been suggested that Andrew could rely on close confidant and criminal law specialist Gary Bloxsome for his legal defence
A spokesperson for Thames Valley Police did not confirm Andrew’s arrest by name, but said that a ‘man in his sixties’ had been released under investigation, having earlier been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
The charge is treated incredibly seriously under UK law and is punishable by a maximum sentence of life behind bars.
Andrew’s brother King Charles III was not given any prior warning of the arrest, it emerged, although the Daily Mail revealed Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s team was informed by a senior officer early on Thursday.
The monarch said in an unprecedented statement that ‘the law must take its course’ after expressing his ‘deepest concern’ after his younger brother was held on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Charles said: ‘I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office.
‘What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities. In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and co-operation.
‘Let me state clearly: the law must take its course.
‘As this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter. Meanwhile, my family and I will continue in our duty and service to you all.’
Unmarked Police vehicles exit the gates of the Royal Lodge this afternoon after carrying out searches at two properties linked to Andrew
The Prince and Princess of Wales, who have long been critical of Andrew, are said to support the statement.
The Daily Mail was the first to reveal that plain-clothes police, carried in six unmarked vehicles, had arrived at Wood Farm, where Andrew now lives, around 8am on Thursday. One man appeared to be carrying a police-issue laptop.
A convoy including at least two royal Land Rovers linked to Andrew was photographed leaving the estate less than an hour later. His arrest was confirmed at 10.08am.
Police conducted searches at two addresses linked to the former duke, including one in Norfolk, which has concluded, and one in Berkshire, which is ongoing.
These are understood to be his new home at Wood Farm in Sandringham and the property he shared with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, Royal Lodge.
For the past 10 days detectives have been probing Andrew’s conduct as a trade envoy for the UK, after emails in the Epstein Files suggested he may have shared confidential information with his paedophile friend, including reports of his official visits and potential investment opportunities.
After serving for 22 years in the Royal Navy, he became the UK’s special representative for international trade and investment in 2001.
He stepped down in 2011 amid the furore over his friendship with Epstein.
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.
While in custody, experts told how Andrew would be given no special treatment and would undergo the usual police formalities including fingerprinting and having his photograph taken.
In what was sure to be a jarring experience for the former prince, he would have been kept in a standard custody suite cell – entirely bare but for a mattress and toilet.
Andrew’s arrest is without precedent in the history of the modern royal family, and what happens next for the beleaguered Andrew is far from certain.
Having been released under investigation, Thames Valley detectives will continue their probe over the coming days and weeks.
Once the force has completed their investigation, the evidence they have gathered will be sent to the Crown Prosecution Service, who will decide whether any charges will be brought.
The charge of misconduct in public office is an indictable only offence, meaning it would be heard at a crown court, and is punishable by life in prison.
Multiple British police forces are currently assessing claims in relation to the Epstein files released by the US Department of Justice.
Several are examining the disgraced financier’s use of UK airports, while the Met is looking at claims that Andrew’s protection officers ‘turned a blind eye’ to criminality on trips to Epstein’s island.
Allegations that a second woman – in addition to Andrew’s main accuser, Virginia Giuffre – was trafficked to the UK to have sex with him are also being examined.
Following news of Andrew’s arrest, relatives of Ms Giuffre – who died by suicide in April 2025 after years of campaigning for victims of sexual offences – shared their ‘gratitude’ to police.
Her brothers, Sky and Danny, said in a statement: ‘At last, today, our broken hearts have been lifted at the news that no one is above the law, not even royalty.
‘On behalf of our sister, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, we extend our gratitude to the UK’s Thames Valley Police for their investigation, and the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. He was never a prince. For survivors everywhere, Virginia did this for you.’
Surrey Police also issued a separate appeal over claims of sexual abuse made to the FBI which are alleged to have taken place in Virginia Waters in the 1990s.
The National Crime Agency has said it is supporting UK forces in their Epstein files probes.
