LONDON (AP) — Former Prince Andrew filed a lawsuit challenging the warrants that authorized searches at two of his homes earlier this year, as British police investigated allegations linked to his links to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
A judicial spokesperson confirmed that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has lodged a complaint with the High Court in London and a hearing is scheduled for Thursday.
The Daily Telegraph previously reported that Mountbatten-Windsor had asked the court to determine whether Thames Valley Police acted lawfully in searching the former prince’s homes near Windsor Castle and King Charles III’s Sandringham estate.
If the court were to rule in favor of Mountbatten-Windsor, it could prevent authorities from using evidence discovered during the searches in any prosecution of the former prince, lawyer Mark Stephens said.
Stephens, of the Howard Kennedy law firm in London, described the hearing as a preliminary skirmish in the broader legal battle.
“I think the most important thing to take away from this is that it shows that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and his lawyers are taking this search warrant and the potential charges extremely seriously,” he told The Associated Press. “And I think that suggests that maybe there will be more to come. And maybe charges will be preferred in the future.”
The searches were carried out in February when Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, after allegations the former prince shared sensitive information with Epstein while he was a UK trade envoy.
Police questioned Mountbatten-Windsor for 11 hours before releasing him under investigation, meaning he was neither charged nor exonerated.
It was the first time in almost four centuries that a senior British royal had been arrested, underscoring how deference to the monarchy has eroded in recent years.
Thames Valley Police said on Monday their investigation was continuing, although they confirmed the department was involved in legal proceedings over the search warrants. A ministry spokesperson declined to comment further while these proceedings are ongoing.
The allegations against Mountbatten-Windsor came to light as the US Department of Justice released millions of pages of documents from its investigation into Epstein’s sex trafficking and his ties to a network of rich and powerful men around the world.
Mountbatten-Windsor’s relationship with Epstein has been a source of embarrassment for the royal family for more than a decade and forced him to step down from royal duties in 2019.
But as new revelations began to emerge from the US investigation last year, the king decided to protect the monarchy from the fallout by stripping his younger brother of his princely title.
After Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest, Charles moved away from the “never complain, never explain” approach of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and took the unusual step of issue a statement on the investigation.
“Let me say this clearly: the law must take its course,” he said at the time. “As this process continues, it would not be appropriate for me to comment further on this matter.”
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