Volkswacht Bodensee - UK police hold ex-prince Andrew for hours in unprecedented blow

The disgraced royal was detained early Thursday on suspicion of misconduct for his links to late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, with some analysts pointing back centuries to find another such example.

As Andrew marked his 66th birthday on Thursday, police swooped on his new home on the remote royal eastern Sandringham estate around 8:00 am (0800 GMT).

King Charles III, who has promised police the full support of Buckingham Palace, swiftly issued a rare personally signed statement insisting "the law must take its course".

It was a humiliating new blow for Andrew who was last year stripped of his titles, and ousted from his Windsor residence of more than two decades.

Thames Valley Police said in a statement late Thursday that "the arrested man has now been released under investigation".

A photograph published by media showed Andrew slumped in the back of a car, staring wild-eyed ahead.

While the earlier police searches in Norfolk "have now concluded," they were still searching a property in Berkshire, police added. It is believed that is Andrew's former residence, Royal Lodge.

"It's a hugely significant moment for the British monarchy, and indeed the nation," royal expert Ed Owens told AFP.

"We are witnessing a monarchy, I think, shaken by recent events."

In the sleepy village of Sandringham near the royal estate, an off-duty police officer said he was "very satisfied some formal action was taken".

"It shows that we are taking steps... I think it's very reassuring to the members of the public," the officer, who did not want to be named, told AFP.

Thames Valley police said it had arrested "a man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office," without naming the suspect, as is common UK practice.

- 'Moment of crisis' -

Andrew's arrest follows new revelations last week that the ex-prince appeared to have sent Epstein potentially confidential documents while serving as a UK trade envoy.

In a November 2010 email seen by AFP, Andrew appeared to share with the US financier reports on his visit to several Asian countries.

Epstein had been convicted in the United States in 2008 of procuring a child for prostitution.

Charles last year stripped his brother of his titles and ordered him to leave his Windsor mansion -- though he does remain eighth in the line of succession.

"Let me state clearly: the law must take its course," the king said in his statement.

In an apparent bid to project an air of business-as-usual, Charles carried out several public duties Thursday, including opening London Fashion Week.

In the Norfolk village of Dersingham, local pub owner John Higginson said he hoped the issue would be "resolved".

"I just feel sorry, to be quite honest, for people like William and Kate," he added, referring to the heir-to-the-throne and his wife.

Royal commentator Katie Nicholl told Sky News: "Let's make no bones about it. This is a moment of crisis for the monarchy, possibly the greatest crisis since the (1936) abdication. No one quite knows how this is going to pan out."

The scandal has been gathering pace since one of Epstein's accusers, Virginia Giuffre, last year claimed in her posthumous memoirs that she had been trafficked three times to have sex with Andrew when she was a teenager.

The Giuffre family welcomed Andrew's arrest Thursday, saying: "Our broken hearts have been lifted at the news," adding that he was "never a prince".

- Wide probe -

Andrew has previously denied any wrongdoing in his associations with Epstein.

He settled a US civil lawsuit in 2022 brought by Giuffre while not admitting liability.

The ex-prince served as a British trade envoy for a decade from 2001.

Official guidance stipulates trade envoys have a duty of confidentiality over sensitive commercial or political information related to their official visits, the BBC has said.

At least nine UK police forces have confirmed they are assessing claims stemming from the Epstein files, many related to Andrew.

It follows the US justice department's latest release of millions of files from its investigation into the US financier.

G.Frei--VB