Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor challenges house searches
The former prince asks the British High Court to assess whether police lawfully obtained the search warrants.
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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has begun legal proceedings against Thames Valley Police. He wants the warrants used by officers to search his homes earlier this year to be quashed; a private hearing is scheduled for Thursday.
The former prince has filed an application for judicial review at the High Court. The case concerns the lawfulness of warrants that authorised police to search properties on the Sandringham estate and near Royal Lodge in Windsor. On Thursday, the court will first hear an application concerning access to case documents.
Thames Valley Police confirms that it is involved in the legal proceedings. The police say they will not comment on the substance while the case is ongoing. This does not establish that the judge considers the warrants unlawful; the hearing is an assessment of the procedure followed, not a ruling on the underlying suspicion.
Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office, a criminal offence connected with the possible misuse of a public position. He was released after questioning while the investigation continued. No charge has been brought and he has not been convicted.
The suspicion is linked to his contacts with Jeffrey Epstein and allegations that he may have shared sensitive information as a British trade envoy. Mountbatten-Windsor denies wrongdoing. At this stage, the matter therefore concerns an ongoing police investigation and a separate legal challenge to the search warrants.
The case is attracting extra attention in the United Kingdom because the suspect is a former member of the royal family. Formally, this changes nothing about the legal process: the judge must assess whether the police and the issuing judge followed the statutory requirements for the warrants. The outcome could affect the further handling of the investigation, but the court has not yet decided anything on that matter.
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The legal step, the planned hearing and the status of the police investigation have been confirmed by AP, PA and RTÉ. The text keeps allegations and suspicions separate from proven facts.
- confirmed Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has started legal proceedings against Thames Valley Police. — AP and PA report the application at the High Court. source
- confirmed A private hearing is scheduled for Thursday. — The Judicial Office information is reported by AP, PA and RTÉ. source
- confirmed He was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office and has not been charged. — This procedural status is described by AP and RTÉ. source
- confirmed Mountbatten-Windsor denies wrongdoing. — His denial is mentioned in the reporting. source
Editor's note
The legal application, the planned private hearing, the police confirmation and the absence of a charge are certain. The lawfulness of the warrants and the outcome of the police investigation remain unknown.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- NU.nl — „verenigd koninkrijk”
- De Telegraaf — „verenigd koninkrijk”
- AD — „verenigd koninkrijk”