WASHINGTON – It wasn't Jeffrey Epstein's illicit past that led tothe stunning arrestofAndrew Mountbatten-Windsoron Feb. 19. It was the alleged leak of confidential information from the former prince to the convicted sex offender.
The charges of misconduct in office reportedlybeing pursued by British authoritiescould put former Prince Andrew in significant legal jeopardy. The charges relate to leaks of information while Andrew acted as the United Kingdom's trade envoy.
The first known modern arrest of a senior British royal raises questions about the handling of sensitive UK government information, the oversight of quasi-official royal roles and Andrew's long relationship with Epstein.
Disgraced former royal Andrew, the former Duke of York, has became a source of embarrassment for his brother King Charles III following a 2019 TV interview in which Andrew defended his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He was stripped of his military titles in 2022 and senior royal status, shuffled off into retirement after being sued by Virginia Giuffre, an American woman who accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17. Andrew renounced his royal titles and honors amid continued scrutiny over his Epstein connections, despite denying all allegations against him. British police arrested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on suspicion of misconduct in public life, according to multiple news outlets in the United Kingdom on Feb. 19, 2026. Look back at his life in the royal family, including here as Andrew arrives for the Requiem Mass service for Katharine, Duchess of Kent, at Westminster Cathedral on Sept. 16, 2025, in London." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Queen Elizabeth II and her family traveling to Sandringham in the back of their car, with Prince Andrew on her lap, the Duke of Edinburgh to her left with Princess Anne on his lap, and Prince Charles waving, arriving at Liverpool Street Station in London on Jan. 27, 1966." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Queen Elizabeth II stands next to her son Prince Andrew as they listen to speeches during a visit to Imperial College in London on June 24, 2004. They officiated at the opening of the new Tanaka Business School." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Prince Andrew attends a luncheon in Hong Kong in March 2006. As United Kingdom's representative for International Trade and Investment, Prince Andrew visited China for four days to promote trade and investment links. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Prince Andrew laughs during a reception with business leaders on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos on Jan. 22, 2015. Prince Andrew spoke at the Davos annual meeting to "reaffirm" official denials of claims he had sex with an underaged girl employed by American billionaire and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Prince Andrew speaks with military personnel during a reception at the Honourable Artillery Company following the Afghanistan service of commemoration at St. Paul's Cathedral on March 13, 2015, in London." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Prince Andrew attends the London Global African Investment Summit at St James' Palace on Dec. 1, 2015, in London." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Prince Andrew reacts as he greets members of the public gathered outside of Balmoral Castle on Sept. 10, 2022, two days after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died at the age of 96." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Prince William, Prince Andrew and Princess Kate leave following a funeral service for the Duchess of Kent." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Prince Andrew and King Charles III leave following a funeral service for Katharine, Duchess of Kent." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
A photo of Prince Andrew hangs on the wall where British Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets U.S. President Donald Trump at Trump Turnberry golf club on July 28, 2025, in Turnberry, Scotland." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Copies of the biography "Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York" by Andrew Lownie about Prince Andrew are displayed on the day of its release at Waterstones' flagship store in London on Aug. 14, 2025." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Sarah, Duchess of York, and ex-husband Prince Andrew arrive for the Requiem Mass service for Katharine, Duchess of Kent, at Westminster Cathedral on Sept. 16, 2025, in London." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> See disgraced royal Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's life of affluence
Disgraced former royal Andrew, the former Duke of York, has became a source of embarrassment for his brother King Charles III following a 2019 TV interview in which Andrew defended his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He was stripped of his military titles in 2022 and senior royal status, shuffled off into retirement after being sued by Virginia Giuffre, an American woman who accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17. Andrew renounced his royal titles and honors amid continued scrutiny over his Epstein connections, despite denying all allegations against him. British police arrestedAndrew Mountbatten-Windsoron suspicion of misconduct in public life, according to multiple news outlets in the United Kingdom on Feb. 19, 2026.Look back at his life in the royal family, including here as Andrew arrives for the Requiem Mass service for Katharine, Duchess of Kent, at Westminster Cathedral on Sept. 16, 2025, in London.
British media outlets say Andrew's arrest – on his 66thbirthday – stems from his time as Britain'sspecial representative for international trade and investmentfrom 2001 to 2011.
Epstein, who was accused of overseeing a global sex-trafficking network, died by suicide in a Manhattan jail in 2019 while awaiting trial. (He had previouslypleaded guilty in 2008to soliciting a minor for prostitution.) His closest associate Ghislaine Maxwell – daughter of British publisher Robert Maxwell and frequent companion of Mountbatten-Windsor – was convicted of similar charges and is serving a 20-year sentence in a U.S. federal prison.
The former prince has strenuously denied any wrongdoing on all fronts, especially related to the longstanding allegations that he was consorting with young women and even underage girls provided by Epstein and Maxwell.
The Thames Valley Police department, the agency that arrested Andrew, said it would have no comment on the ongoing investigation, including what charges Andrew might be facing, only that they arrested "a man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office."
Andrew has been living at Wood Farm on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, England. Any potential case against him on official misconduct does not change his potential legal liability for sex-related crimes.
Andrew was released from custody later Feb. 19 and remained "under investigation," said the Thames Valley Police, which arrested Andrew where he was staying on King Charles' private Sandringham estate.
More:Epstein file shows US-UK row over whether Prince Andrew was a suspect
An international trade and investment envoy
Andrew's arrest follows the recent release ofmillions of Epstein-related documentsby the U.S. Justice Department, including previously undisclosed communications between Andrew, Epstein and others.
Those documents show that Andrew allegedly leaked sensitive information about the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Aston Martin, the luxury sports car manufacturer, as well as government reports from visits to Vietnam, Singapore and China to Epstein,the BBC reported, citingthe recently published files.
Another email, on Christmas Eve 2010, appeared to send Epstein aconfidential brief on investment opportunitiesin the reconstruction of Helmand province, Afghanistan.
The email reads: "Attached is a confidential brief produced by the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Helmand Province for International Investment Opportunities. These are not exclusive to Helmand Province but principally focused on that province. I am going to offer this elsewhere in my network (including Abu Dhabi) but would be very interested in your comments, views or ideas as to whom I could also usefully show this to attract some interest. I have sadly already found out that Gates Foundation doesn't do anything in Afghanistan."
Advertisement
The email is signed, "HRH The Duke of York KG"
'Air Miles Andy'traveling the world on the UK taxpayer dime
In his role as a UK trade envoy, Andrew – then the Duke of York – traveled globally, and enjoyed what the BBC said was "privileged access to senior government and business contacts around the world."
His frequent travel, funded by UK taxpayers, earned him the title "Air Miles Andy" by the British media.
Such UK trade envoys have a duty of confidentiality over sensitive, commercial, or political information about their official visits, the BBC said, citing official guidance.
That prompted a fresh review by British authorities and public calls for an aggressive investigation by UK authorities.
Before his arrest, Thames Valley Police had spoken with specialists from the Crown Prosecution Service, the principal public agency for conducting criminal prosecutions in England and Wales, about allegations that Mountbatten-Windsor had shared confidential reports from his role as the UK's trade envoy with Epstein and potentially others, according to the BBC and other UK media.
Andrew, the younger brother to King Charles, had stepped back from his senior royal roles in 2019. He was stripped of his military and charitable associations in January 2022. And inan Oct. 30, 2025 statement, Buckingham Palace said he would bestripped of his royal style, titles and honors. He is no longer a prince and is now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
A 'government investigation into how this was allowed to happen'
It does not appear from what has been disclosed in the latest Justice Department release of Epstein files that Andrew provided any classified information that could jeopardize British – or U.S. – national security.
Still, Andrew's alleged leaking of such information, especially to someone suspected of running an ongoing criminal enterprise at the time, has become a politically explosive issue in the UK.
If Andrew did indeed leak such information, it's "totally unacceptable," Sir Vince Cable told the BBC on Feb. 15 in calling for a criminal investigation.
"We need a police or DPP [director of public prosecutions] check on whether criminal corruption took place and a government investigation into how this was allowed to happen," said Cable, thesecretary of state for business and tradefor some of Andrew's time as trade envoy.
U.S. legal experts also said Andrew faces potentially serious legal jeopardy.
"Sharing confidential government information outside official channels is a serious national security risk," said Jake Braun, a former senior White House and Department of Homeland Security official under President Barack Obama. "Insider threats — the misuse of authorized access — remain one of the most significant vulnerabilities governments face."
"Trade negotiations and diplomatic strategy involve sensitive economic intelligence that can shape markets, alliances, and geopolitical leverage," said Braun, who is now the executive director of the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy Cyber Policy Initiative. "When a senior official entrusted with that information discloses it improperly, it undermines trust, weakens negotiating power, and creates potential openings for exploitation."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Alleged UK trade info leaks to Epstein led to former Prince Andrew's arrest
