Ex-Prince Andrew Takes Police to Court Over Epstein Investigation
The former Duke of York has secured permission to challenge warrants used to search his homes. A private High Court hearing will consider access to documents as the misconduct investigation continues.
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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has taken Thames Valley Police to court over search warrants used in the Epstein files investigation, opening a legal challenge eight months after his arrest, according to The Telegraph.
The former Duke of York has obtained High Court permission to judicially review the warrants authorizing searches at Marsh Farm on the Sandringham Estate and his former Windsor residence, Royal Lodge.
His lawyers are challenging whether those warrants were lawfully issued.
A private High Court hearing later this week will consider whether certain documents connected to the proceedings should be released.
Warrants Under Scrutiny
An Old Bailey judge approved the warrants following an application by Thames Valley Police.
Detectives subsequently searched both properties over several days, taking away documents and other material.
Police arrested Mountbatten-Windsor at Marsh Farm in February, on his 66th birthday.
He was taken to Aylsham Police Station and questioned for almost 12 hours on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
He was then released under investigation. The judicial review puts the legal basis for the searches before a court while the criminal inquiry continues.
Alleged Disclosure of Sensitive Information
The investigation followed the publication of Epstein files suggesting Mountbatten-Windsor had passed sensitive material to Jeffrey Epstein during his tenure as U.K. trade envoy between 2001 and 2011.
The documents included emails indicating that he forwarded official reports concerning visits to Singapore, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Shenzhen in October 2010.
Another email, sent on Christmas Eve that year, appeared to contain a confidential briefing on investment opportunities in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, where the U.K. government was financing reconstruction.
Those exchanges came after Mountbatten-Windsor said he had ended the friendship.
In his 2019 Newsnight interview, he said he last met Epstein in early December 2010 to break off their relationship.
Questions Over Access to Evidence
The Telegraph reported claims that the investigation faces difficulties because the U.S. Department of Justice has refused to provide unredacted Epstein files.
A formal request for the material could take more than a year to receive a response, with no assurance that U.S. authorities would supply it.
Thames Valley Police said in May that its inquiry would also examine allegations of sexual misconduct and asked people with information to come forward.
The decision to arrest Mountbatten-Windsor has drawn criticism from his allies.
An unnamed senior Metropolitan Police source also questioned why officers had not invited him for an interview under caution.
Buckingham Palace said the King received no advance warning of the arrest.
In a statement issued at the time, the monarch said “the law must take its course” and expressed concern about the allegations.
Ahmet Koçak
Ahmet Koçak is a news editor at Clash Report based in Istanbul. He previously served as Deputy Managing Editor at Türkiye Today, helping launch the digital news platform in 2023, and spent three years as Senior Editor at Daily Sabah. His work focuses on breaking news, geopolitics, international affairs, and digital journalism.
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