After disgraced ex-prince Andrew was arrested by police on Thursday (February 19), more details have emerged of what the atmosphere was like where he was housed
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor faced a right Royal dressing down after his arrest — because the nick he was taken to is notorious for having ‘no underwear’ for prisoners. Custody suite inspectors moaned about the lack of undies at Aylsham Police Investigation Centre where Andrew was held for 11 hours after his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
The Royal — who is currently eighth in line to the throne — was treated like any suspected common criminal. He had a DNA saliva swab taken along with his fingerprints, and he will have been forced to pose for a mugshot.
Andrew would also have been allowed one phone call. While it is not clear if he was held in a cell between interviews, what would have been available would have been a change of clothes.
They are given to prisoners whose own clobber is seized as potential evidence or for their own safety. The custody gear is available for all suspects, should they want it.
But according to the most recent His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary report on custody suite standards across Norfolk and Suffolk, Aylsham was singled out because it did not stock underwear. It said: “There were good stocks of replacement clothing, including jogging bottoms, sweatshirts, T-shirts and plimsolls.
“In our survey, 69% of respondents who had had their clothing removed said that they had been given a tracksuit to wear. At Aylsham, there was no underwear for either men or women, and, although there were stocks of clothing and rip-proof clothing available there, none of it was in small sizes.”
Andrew was released under investigation after being arrested by Thames Valley Police at his new Wood Farm home on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk on his 66th birthday. He was questioned over claims he shared sensitive information with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein while deployed as a trade envoy for Britain.
While he was being held, officers searched the property and Royal Lodge — his former home in Windsor, which the King forced him to quit earlier this month amid the fallout over Andrew’s links to Epstein. Andrew, now known as ‘Mountbatten-Windsor’ after being stripped of his titles over the scandal, was the first Royal arrested in more than 350 years since Charles I was taken prisoner by parliamentary forces during the English Civil War.
The Metropolitan Police, conducting a separate probe, urged his former bodyguards to come forward with any information about any wrongdoing they may have witnessed. The force is identifying and contacting former personal protection officers as part of its ongoing review of the former Duke’s activities.
A Met Police spokesman said former officers were being ‘asked to consider carefully whether anything they saw or heard during that period of service may be relevant’. Earlier this week, the force said it was examining allegations that royal protection officers ‘turned a blind eye’ towards wrongdoing when travelling with Andrew on trips to Epstein’s private island and New York home.
The force said it was also working with counterparts in the US to establish if London airports had been used to ‘facilitate human trafficking and sexual exploitation’. A spokesman for the force said: “The Met is identifying and contacting former and serving officers who may have worked closely, in a protection capacity, with Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor.
“They have been asked to consider carefully whether anything they saw or heard during that period of service may be relevant to our ongoing reviews and to share any information that could assist us. While we are aware of the extensive media reporting and commentary about this matter, as of today, no new criminal allegations have been made to the Met regarding sexual offences said to have occurred within our jurisdiction.
“We continue to urge anyone with new or relevant information to come forward. All allegations will be taken seriously and, as with any matter, any information received will be assessed and investigated where appropriate.” The force said no new reports of alleged sexual offences had been made since the US Department of Justice released millions of pages of documents related to Epstein.
Police have not identified any wrongdoing by protection officers. Virginia Giuffre, Andrew’s primary accuser who took her own life last April, alleged she had sex with him on at least three occasions when she was 17 and she spent two days alone with him in New Mexico. Andrew has previously denied all allegations made against him.
US President Donald Trump described Andrew’s arrest as a ‘shame’ and ‘very bad thing’ ahead of his brother King Charles III’s scheduled visit to America in April. Asked about it, he said: “I’m the expert in a way because I’ve been totally exonerated, so I can speak about it.
“I think it’s a shame. I think it’s very sad. I think it’s so bad for the Royal Family. It’s very, very sad. To me, it’s a very sad thing. When I see that, it’s a very sad thing.
“To see that and to see everything that’s going on with his brother, who is coming to our country very soon, the King…so I think it’s a very sad thing.”
The family of Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving 20 years in jail for helping Epstein sexually abuse underage girls, tweeted: “Astonished to see Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrested over alleged misconduct in public office linked to material from the so‑called Epstein ‘Files’. He is entitled to the presumption of innocence and a fair process – which our sister Ghislaine never received. We need transparency, evidence, and the same rules for everyone – not trial by media and political expediency.”
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