Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has taken legal action against British police over his arrest linked to the Epstein files.
Officers began to search the disgraced former prince’s current and former homes on his 66th birthday in February, in the wake of his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
But his lawyers are now challenging the search warrants that allowed for searches of his home on the Sandringham estate and Royal Lodge in Windsor.
And a High Court judge has granted him permission for a judicial review—a court challenge against a public body—after his lawyers requested it earlier this year, the Daily Telegraph first reported.
It is the first time a member of the royal family has challenged the lawfulness of criminal proceedings against them since Charles I in 1649.
Andrew was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, over allegations that he shared sensitive information with Jeffrey Epstein while he was a U.K. trade envoy. He was interviewed under caution and released under investigation. He has not been charged.
A judge at the Old Bailey in London issued the warrants on Feb. 18, the day before his arrest, and the claim is brought against both the chief constable of Thames Valley Police (TVP) and the court itself.
On Thursday, Mr. Justice Hilliard will hear TVP’s bid to restrict access to the court documents, in a hearing that will begin in private. If the cops fail, some of this is likely to be made public.
A senior Metropolitan Police source told the Telegraph he was surprised that Thames Valley did not simply invite Andrew in for questioning under caution. If the court agrees, the warrants can be quashed, and the searches declared unlawful.
TVP later announced that its investigation would also look at allegations of sexual misconduct and appealed for anybody with information to come forward. Andrew has continually denied any wrongdoing related to his dealings with Epstein.
Andrew has lived full-time at Sandringham since King Charles evicted his brother from his 30-room home at Royal Lodge, months after he stripped Andrew of his royal titles in October 2025.
The king’s decision came after a posthumous memoir from Virginia Giuffre, who repeated her allegation that she had sex with the then-Prince Andrew when she was a teenager. Giuffre died by suicide in April 2025. Andrew denies the claim.
When Andrew’s titles were removed in October, Buckingham Palace said: “Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.”
Giuffre’s family said she “brought down a British prince with her truth and extraordinary courage”.
Andrew says he is innocent. The last time he spoke about the allegations was in October last year, when he said: “I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
Friends told the Telegraph a fortnight ago that he is living in limbo and cannot live a normal life while the investigation drags on. At the weekend, the Daily Mail reported that the Earl and Countess of Leicester have had Andrew to dinner, and that the feeling among other Norfolk grandees is that things have “gone too far.”
That Andrew wanted this judicial review, and now being granted it, is a clear sign he is going to fight. That will give the establishment and the authorities serious pause. If he fights this all the way, it becomes a massive problem for the royal family and the police.
Charles I refused to recognize the court that tried him for treason after he restarted the English Civil War in the wake of losing it the first time. He said no court had the authority to try a king. He was then beheaded.
Andrew is saying the law protects him: that the police acted outside it, and that they were not entitled to come charging into his home on his birthday earlier this year.
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