Portrait photograph of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, 2013. Real photograph via Wikimedia Commons. This page reports only confirmed police statements and reputable reporting; the investigation is ongoing and no charges have been filed.

The 2026 Investigation

On his 66th birthday, Andrew was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office and released under investigation the same day. No charges have been filed. This page reports only what police and reputable outlets have confirmed.

What triggered it Reported

In early 2026 the U.S. Department of Justice released further Epstein files. Among them, emails appeared to indicate that between 2010 and 2011 Andrew shared confidential material about his official work as trade envoy with Jeffrey Epstein — and, separately, passed an email chain about the Royal Bank of Scotland and Aston Martin to business contacts. In February 2026 The Daily Telegraph reported that in February 2010 he had forwarded a confidential Treasury briefing on the Icelandic financial crisis to Jonathan Rowland, chief executive of Banque Havilland.

Trade envoys owe a duty of confidentiality over sensitive commercial and political material from official visits. The campaign group Republic submitted a report to police concerning Andrew; in February 2026 Thames Valley Police said they were considering investigating it for suspected misconduct in public office (a common-law offence with no statute of limitations) and an alleged breach of official secrets.

Separately, in May 2026 it was reported that court filings showed Buckingham Palace had received an archive of some 30,000 emails in 2020 — taken from one of Andrew’s business associates and passed to the Lord Chamberlain — that would have indicated the sharing of confidential government material during the envoy years. The palace said it could not comment while a police inquiry was ongoing.

The arrest — 19 February 2026 On the record

On the morning of 19 February 2026, his 66th birthday, Andrew was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office at the Sandringham estate. Thames Valley Police said they were searching addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk; it was subsequently confirmed that officers searched Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, his former home.

King Charles III issued a statement expressing his “deepest concern” and saying “the law must take its course.”
Andrew was released from Aylsham police station later that day — roughly eleven hours after the arrest — under investigation.
The arrest was reported as the first arrest of a senior member of the British royal family since Charles I in 1647.

A widely circulated Reuters photograph by Phil Noble showed Andrew leaving custody; the BBC described him as appearing “shell-shocked, haunted.” The image was briefly hung at the Louvre by activists before being removed by museum staff — reported color, not evidence.

The investigation now Reported

No charges have been filed. Andrew denies wrongdoing.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said the force was assessing a “whole range of sexual allegations” concerning Andrew to determine whether they merit a criminal investigation.
Metropolitan Police officials have sought the cooperation of the U.S. Department of Justice — described as an initial step before any formal mutual legal assistance requests.
MPs across parties have called for transparency; questions have been raised about whether legislation might eventually address his place in the line of succession. No bill has advanced.

On 6 May 2026, a 39-year-old man, Alex Jenkinson, was charged by Norfolk Police with threatening and abusive behaviour after allegedly intimidating Andrew — who was walking his dogs near his Sandringham home — including pursuing his vehicle; an offensive-weapon allegation was also reported. In a statement Andrew described seeing a balaclava-clad man sprint after his vehicle. The case is a police matter concerning the alleged offender, not Andrew.

The standing of this page

An arrest on suspicion is the start of a criminal process, not its conclusion. This page will treat the investigation the way it treats everything else: confirmed police statements as record, reputable reporting as reported, allegations as allegations — and no inference of guilt from the fact of an arrest.

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