Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was treated like a “common criminal suspect” when officers detained him at Sandringham on Thursday.
The arrest came on his 66th birthday, marking a dramatic fall from grace for the King’s younger brother.
Police descended on his Wood Farm home at 8am and informed the disgraced ex-prince he was being held on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Officers took his fingerprints, collected a saliva sample, and even took a mugshot.
His two private bodyguards, both ex-Met Police officers, stayed with him throughout as investigators searched through cupboards and drawers at the property.
Andrew had no advance warning of the police operation.
At 8.54am, Andrew was taken to Aylsham police station, a journey lasting 55 minutes.
He is understood to have travelled alone in the back of an unmarked police Volvo XC90, with a Norfolk Police Range Rover leading the convoy and another vehicle carrying his protection officers following behind.
The former Duke of York was not placed in handcuffs during the journey.
Upon reaching the station, he would have been assessed to confirm he was mentally and physically capable of being detained and questioned.
A custody sergeant then checked that arresting officers had followed correct procedures.
Andrew appeared a broken man as he departed the police station
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REUTERS
Andrew was allowed one telephone call, almost certainly to summon a senior lawyer for his interview.
Whether he was placed in a cell remains unclear.
He was released at approximately 7pm – 11 hours later – and appeared a broken man as he departed.
Retired detective chief inspector Mick Neville described the situation as “an extraordinary fall from grace.”
He noted that if Andrew was held in a cell, standard procedures would have required removing his belt or tie as a precaution against self-harm.
Police descended on his Wood Farm home at 8am and informed the disgraced ex-prince he was being held on suspicion of misconduct in public office
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GETTY
Andrew was taken to Aylsham police station – and endured the same treatment as any criminal suspect inside
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GETTY
“I doubt whether the police gave him tea in a bone china cup and the microwaved food in custody centres is virtually inedible,” Mr Neville told The Sun.
The retired officer also pointed out that every police constable swears an oath of allegiance to the Crown – but hauled in a senior royal either way.
“Here you have police officers arresting a man who is the King’s younger brother – and despite losing his royal title is still eighth in line to the throne,” he said.
Mr Neville added: “This arrest could potentially pave the way for the extraordinary spectacle of Rex vs Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor – his own brother.”
ANDREW ARRESTED – READ MORE:
‘This arrest could potentially pave the way for the extraordinary spectacle of Rex vs Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor – his own brother,’ Mr Neville said
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GETTY“There hasn’t been anything like it since Charles I was beheaded back in 1649.”
The allegations centre on information Andrew allegedly passed to Jeffrey Epstein during his decade-long tenure as Britain’s special trade envoy from 2001 to 2011.
He resigned from the role over his relationship with the convicted paedophile financier.
Documents from the Epstein files suggest Andrew forwarded official visit reports to Epstein within minutes of receiving them from his special adviser.
On Christmas Eve in 2010, Andrew allegedly sent Epstein a confidential briefing on investment opportunities in gold and uranium in Afghanistan.
Andrew became the first royal to be arrested since the 17th century, when Charles I was taken in – and later executed
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PUBLIC DOMAIN
PICTURED: Prince Andrew at a party on February 12, 2000 with Jeffrey Epstein
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GETTY“J, Attached is a confidential brief produced by the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Helmand Province for International Investment Opportunities,” the email is said to have read.
Andrew also apparently vouched for Epstein during a 2010 state visit to the United Arab Emirates, telling him in an email: “You are in big time.”
Elsewhere in Norfolk on Thursday, officers armed with a magistrate-signed search warrant arrived at Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, where Andrew had lived until three weeks ago.
The search at Wood Farm lasted 11 hours, with experts expecting seized devices including phones and laptops to be examined.
But around the country, at least nine police forces across Britain are now examining allegations against Andrew – and Labour grandee Lord Mandelson – following the release of three million Epstein-linked documents by the US Department of Justice.
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor has denied any wrongdoing over his Epstein links, but has not directly responded to the latest allegations.
