Prince Andrew arrested in Epstein case

ArmInfo. Police have detained Prince Andrew, The Telegraph reports. The BBC also reported on the arrest.

Police declined to name the detainee, citing regulations, but said he is a man "in his 60s from Norfolk." Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor moved to the county and settled on the Sandringham estate after being stripped of his titles. He turns 66 on February 19.

Police said the detainee is suspected of committing a misconduct in office. According to The Telegraph, the arrest is related to the investigation against Andrew in connection with the Jeffrey Epstein case.

American investment banker Jeffrey Epstein was convicted in 2008 of soliciting a minor for prostitution. He was arrested again in the United States in the summer of 2019. He was then charged with trafficking girls, including 14-year-olds, and soliciting them for prostitution. In August of that year, 66-year-old Epstein, according to the official version, committed suicide in prison before his trial.

According to the newspaper, at around 8:00 a.m. local time (11:00 a.m. Moscow time), six unmarked police cars and approximately eight plainclothes officers were spotted at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate.

Approximately half an hour later, one unmarked police car departed, followed by another, also unmarked, police car. A third car, presumably carrying Andrew's security detail, followed.

Accusations of close contacts with Epstein were made against Andrew while he was still a prince. The BBC, in particular, reported that the financier sent a woman to the UK for sexual contact with Andrew. According to the television company, the meeting may have taken place in 2010 at the Royal Lodge estate, where he previously lived.