HIBAPRESS – Agencies
The British police arrested former Prince Andrew on charges of abuse of public office, in a surprising development in the case related to his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
At least eight unmarked police cars arrived at Wood Farm, the residence where Andrew resides, to carry out the arrest, which coincided with his sixty-sixth birthday. The operation was led by the Thames Valley Police, which is investigating allegations related to Andrew sharing classified information with Epstein. The police said in a statement: "As part of the investigation, we arrested a man in his sixties from Norfolk today on suspicion of abuse of office, and we are conducting searches at residential addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk." They added: "The man remains in police custody. We will not disclose the name of the detainee, in accordance with national guidelines. We also remind you that the case is still under investigation." Sources familiar with the investigation indicated that the arrest is related to the suspicion of transferring documents from the period when Andrew held the position of trade envoy, and that these materials may have been provided to Epstein. The investigation also covers allegations of other incidents related to communications between them, but at this stage, the arrest only relates to the suspicion of abuse of office. In a statement to the "BBC" Breakfast program this morning, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called on Prince Andrew and others with information to speak with the British and American authorities about the Epstein scandal. Starmer stressed the need for anyone with information to testify, whether it was Andrew or anyone else, and explained that the discussion in this case is about the Epstein case, but there are many other similar cases. It is worth mentioning that in October, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles III had decided to strip his brother, Prince Andrew, of all his royal titles, including the title of "Prince" and expelling him from his royal residence at "Royal Lodge" in Windsor, in an unprecedented move within the British royal family.
