LONDON: (PA Media/dpa): Britain's King Charles III has said "the law must take its course” after expressing his "deepest concern” over the arrest of his brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Andrew was taken into custody on his 66th birthday on Thursday (Feb 19) following allegations made against the former prince after the release of millions of pages of files related to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
He is the first senior royal in modern history to be arrested.
In response to the arrest, Charles said: "I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office.
"What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities.
"In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and co-operation.
"Let me state clearly: the law must take its course.”
It is understood neither the king nor Buckingham Palace was informed in advance of the arrest.
Prince William and Princess Kate are understood to support the king’s statement.
Thames Valley Police previously said the force was reviewing allegations that a woman was trafficked to the UK by Jeffrey Epstein to have a sexual encounter with Andrew, and claims he shared sensitive information with the paedophile while serving as the UK’s trade envoy.
The news of the former duke’s arrest comes as pictures circulated online appearing to show unmarked police cars attending Wood Farm on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, with plain-clothed officers appearing to gather outside Andrew’s home.
Searches are being carried out at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk, the force said.
Emails released by the US Department of Justice appeared to show the former duke sharing reports of official visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore.
One email, dated November 2010, appeared to be forwarded by Andrew five minutes after being sent by his then-special adviser Amir Patel.
Another, on Christmas Eve 2010, appeared to send Epstein a confidential brief on investment opportunities in the reconstruction of Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
Andrew has denied any wrongdoing over his Epstein links, but has not directly responded to the latest allegations.
Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright said: "Following a thorough assessment, we have now opened an investigation into this allegation of misconduct in public office.
"It is important that we protect the integrity and objectivity of our investigation as we work with our partners to investigate this alleged offence.
"We understand the significant public interest in this case, and we will provide updates at the appropriate time.”
The king’s brother is effectively no longer a royal, becoming a commoner after he was stripped by the monarch of both his right to be a prince and his dukedom late last year over his association with Epstein.
He does, however, remain in the line of succession - he is eighth in line to the throne, having gradually moved down after being born second in line.
According to the Crown Prosecution Service’s (CPS) website, misconduct in public office carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Before the arrest was announced, Prime Minister Keir Starmer told "BBC Breakfast" "nobody is above the law” when asked about Andrew.
Starmer added: "Anybody who has any information should testify.
"So whether it’s Andrew or anybody else, anybody who has got relevant information should come forward to whatever the relevant body is, in this particular case we’re talking about Epstein, but there are plenty of other cases.”
Providing its own update on the investigation into Epstein and his associates in the UK, the CPS said: "We are in close contact with the Metropolitan Police Service and Thames Valley Police regarding high-profile individuals.
"We remain ready to support any police investigations if needed.”
A number of police forces across the UK are assessing information released as part of the Epstein files document dump.
Officers from Surrey, Bedfordshire, Essex, Norfolk, the West Midlands, Wiltshire and Scotland have all said they are reviewing information.
On Wednesday, the Met said it was also looking at allegations Andrew’s protection officers turned a "blind eye” to his visits to Epstein’s island, Little St James.
The National Crime Agency said it was supporting UK forces in their Epstein files probes. - dpa
