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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has asked the High Court to quash warrants used to search two homes. The outcome could shape whether police can rely on seized evidence as the Epstein-linked inquiry continues.
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London,Oct 5, 2026 19:10 IST
Former Prince Andrew has moved the High Court in London to challenge the warrants that allowed British police to search two of his homes earlier this year as they investigate allegations linked to his ties with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. A judicial spokesperson confirmed that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor had filed the claim, and a hearing is due on Thursday.
The legal challenge relates to searches carried out in February at homes near Windsor Castle and on King Charles III's Sandringham estate, according to an earlier report by The Daily Telegraph. If the court rules in Mountbatten-Windsor's favour, it could stop authorities from using any evidence found during those searches in a future prosecution, lawyer Mark Stephens said.
Stephens, of the Howard Kennedy firm in London, described the hearing as a preliminary stage in a wider legal fight. "I think the most important thing to take away from this is it shows that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and his lawyers are taking this search warrant and the potential for charges extremely seriously," he told The Associated Press. "And I think that telegraphs that perhaps there's more of this to come. And perhaps charges will be preferred down the road."
The searches were conducted after Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office over allegations that he shared sensitive information with Epstein during his time as the UK's trade envoy. Police questioned him for 11 hours before releasing him under investigation, meaning he was neither charged nor cleared. It was the first time in nearly four centuries that a senior British royal had been arrested.
Thames Valley Police said on Monday that its investigation was continuing, while confirming that it was involved in legal proceedings over the search warrants. A spokesperson declined further comment while the case is before the court.
The allegations against Mountbatten-Windsor emerged after the US Justice Department released millions of pages of documents from its investigation into Epstein's sex trafficking operation and his links with wealthy and powerful men around the world. Mountbatten-Windsor's relationship with Epstein has troubled the royal family for more than a decade and led him to step back from royal duties in 2019. As more details from the US investigation began to emerge last year, the king stripped his younger brother of his princely title. After the arrest, Charles also issued a rare public statement on the investigation, saying, "Let me state clearly: the law must take its course. As this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter."
In sum, Mountbatten-Windsor's High Court challenge has opened a fresh legal front in the case, with the police investigation continuing and the court now set to examine whether the searches of his homes were lawful.
With PTI Inputs
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