The High Court has ruled that search warrants used by police to raid properties linked to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor during an investigation connected to Jeffrey Epstein were unlawfully issued and must be quashed, handing the former prince a significant, if narrow, legal victory.
Justice Nicholas Hilliard ruled on Thursday that Thames Valley Police had made a significant legal error when applying for the warrants used to search Andrew's residence on the Sandringham Estate and his former home, Royal Lodge in Windsor. Before the hearing, the force accepted that the warrants had been issued under the wrong statutory provision. With both sides in agreement, the judge quashed the warrants, which had originally been authorised by Judge Mark Lucraft at the Old Bailey. Andrew did not attend the hearing.
The ruling does not end the criminal investigation. Andrew, the younger brother of King Charles III, was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office after allegations emerged that he had passed sensitive government documents to Epstein while serving as the UK's trade envoy between 2001 and 2011. He was questioned for eleven hours before being released under investigation, meaning he has neither been charged nor exonerated. Thames Valley Police has said the inquiry remains active and that separate proceedings will determine whether investigators can retain material seized during the searches.
The allegations came to light when the US Justice Department released millions of pages of documents from its investigation into sex trafficking by Epstein and his network of wealthy and powerful associates. Mountbatten-Windsor has denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein and has said he regrets their friendship. According to reports, he lodged a judicial review challenge against both his arrest and the search warrants; only the warrants issue has so far been determined.
The case has already made British legal history: it was the first time in nearly four centuries that a senior British royal was placed under arrest, a fact widely interpreted as evidence of how much deference to the monarchy has eroded. Andrew was forced to step back from all official royal duties in 2019 over his ties to Epstein and was stripped by his brother of his titles and honours last October amid further revelations about the relationship.
Buckingham Palace and Thames Valley Police did not immediately comment on the latest ruling. The force has stressed confidence that the errors that led to the quashing could not recur under current procedures. For Andrew, the decision clears one front in his legal battle while leaving the far more consequential misconduct investigation unresolved. His lawyers are expected to continue pressing challenges to the wider police action in the coming months.