Emails showing the former prince sharing confidential and official information with associates including disgraced sex offender and businessman Jeffrey Epstein may have played a role in the royal’s arrest.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office on the morning of his 66th birthday.
His arrest does not automatically mean he is guilty and the specifics of the allegations being investigated by police are not currently public.
The former prince has previously denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, rejecting allegations relating to his official role and claims of sexual abuse.
The detention of a member of the royal family comes after files relating to Epstein were released by the US government. Among the enormous trove of published documents sat details that shed a light on the behind-the-scenes behaviour of the former Duke of York.
Thames Valley Police said earlier this month they were looking at claims including that Mountbatten-Windsor passed confidential and official government documents to Epstein while serving as the UK’s trade envoy.
Mountbatten-Windsor held this role between 2001 and 2011, until he resigned following criticism of his expenses and relationships with controversial figures.
It was a role that saw the prince travel the globe to promote British business and trade interests globally. The unpaid role saw him secure access to senior government and business contacts across the world.
Official documents forwarded in under five minutes
One email officers may be examining as part of their enquiries was sent in November 2010, shortly after Mountbatten-Windsor returned from a trade visit in South East Asia.
Then-Prince Andrew (R) shakes hands with Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet at the presidential palace in Hanoi on October 11, 2010. during an official visit. (Photo by HOANG DINH Nam / AFP via Getty Images)It appears to show the former prince forwarding official reports from visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore directly to Epstein.
The official documents were sent just minutes after the royal had received them from a special adviser.
An email was sent from “The Duke” to “[email protected]”, an address known to be used by Epstein, with the subject line: “South East Asia Visit Reports”.
It appears to show Mountbatten-Windsor forwarded an email without any comment or explanation to Epstein, along with four attachments. It is not known if Epstein was aware he would be sent these emails in advance.
The email that appears to have been forwarded by the then-Duke. (Photo: US Dept of Justice)The original email was sent from a “Special Adviser to HRH The Duke of York” who worked from Buckingham Palace. It read: “Sir, Please find attached the visit reports for Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shenzhen in relation to your recent visit to South East Asia.”
It was sent at 2.57pm on 30 November 2010. Mountbatten-Windsor appears to have forwarded it to Epstein four minutes and 44 seconds later.
‘Confidential’ documents for ‘J‘
A similar exchange of information the Duke himself classifies as “confidential” can be seen on 24 December 2010. This means it was sent a couple of weeks after Mountbatten-Windsor flew to New York and met Epstein in person and during a period the then-Duke was corresponding with the convicted sex offender seeking help with settling his ex-wife’s £5m of debt.
“The Duke” starts his email informally, addressing Epstein simply as “J”.
“Attached is a confidential brief produced by the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Helmand Province for International Investment Opportunities,” he writes, providing some further detail of the proposal.”
An email signed off by “HRH The Duke of York” sent to “J”. (Photo: US Dept of Justice)He adds that he “would be very interested in your comments, views or ideas”.
Epstein’s exchange back to Mountbatten-Windsor sees him respond on Christmas Day asking for the phone number of one of the men owed money by Sarah Ferguson, the former Duchess of York. He does not comment on the email’s contents.
PS from “The Duke”
A third email may also indicate the police could be looking for any evidence or information relating to relevant conversations had on the phone or face-to-face.
An email sent by “The Duke” to Epstein in May 2010, during which the convicted sex offender was still under house arrest in New York, indicates an offline conversation about navigating the then-trade envoy’s “responsibility” relating to financial matters.
Added as a postscript to the email, the former prince writes: “PS re our conversation earlier this week: so long as I delegate any responsibility to invest then there are no problems.
“So Trusts are delegated responsibility as to are any Banks or Investment Vehicles or for that matter Trusted individuals.”
The email states ‘there are no problems’ relating to what appears to be the then-Duke’s relationship with investments. (Photo: US Dept of Justice)It is not clear from this email alone if Mountbatten-Windsor is discussing actions in relation to his role as trade envoy or other in reference to other stipulations.
The email also reveals “The Duke” fed information to Epstein about how a UK government figure, then Conservative minister for Northern Ireland Hugo Swire, was asking whether the prince and the paedophile had remained in contact. The email makes reference to Peter Mandleson, the former Labour grandee who resigned from the House of Lords following the exposure of his association with Epstein.
Other emails include correspondence that appear to relate to proposals suggesting a business venture between Mountbatten-Windsor, an aide named David Stern and Epstein were touted.
One email from Stern to Epstein in 2010 appears to describe the then-Prince’s potential role, saying: “We very discreetly make PA part of it and use this “aura and access”, you make/decide on the investments and I manage the day to day operations…”.
Not just Epstein
Mountbatten-Windsor appears to have also discussed sensitive information with other figures. This includes an investment banker based in Abu Dhabi who asks whether the then Duke would “object if I were to pursue Aston Martin? You need not be involved, but the inside information” would be invaluable.” The email exchange is forwarded by an aide of Mountbatten-Windsor to Epstein.
The request is part of a lengthy and detailed email change with “The Duke”, who offers insight on a number of financial issues as well as discussing details of a trip to China he was about to make in his role as trade envoy.
Police officers stationed outside the gates of the Royal Lodge, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s former residence in Windsor Great Park on 19 February, 2026 in Windsor. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)“The idea that you write about… [I and an aide] could work on this in September whilst I am there,” he writes.
He goes on to discuss his ex-wife’s debts, following on from the investment banker’s offer to “help in any way possible” regarding “the subject of S”.
That email, among others, does not make it clear how much of the information shared by the then-prince came directly from his role as trade envoy.
Official guidance states trade envoys have a duty of confidentiality over sensitive, commercial, and political information from their official duties and visits.
The search
Police are carrying out searches at properties in Berkshire and Norfolk, with several patrol cars seen arriving at the Sandringham Estate shortly after 8am on Thursday, The Times reported.
Mountbatten-Windsor was reported to be staying at the Norfolk estate following his eviction from Royal Lodge. He was ordered to move and stripped of his prince title by King Charles III in October.
“As part of the investigation, we have today arrested a man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office and are carrying out searches at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk,” a spokesperson for Thames Valley Police said.
“The man remains in police custody at this time.
“We will not be naming the arrested man, as per national guidance. Please also remember that this case is now active so care should be taken with any publication to avoid being in contempt of court.”
It is understood that Norfolk Police is supporting Thames Valley Police’s investigation.
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