LONDON: Britain's former prince Andrew was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of misconduct during his time as a trade envoy, as UK police investigations into allegations emerging from the Jeffrey Epstein files gathered pace.
Unprecedented in Britain's modern era, the arrest was a new blow for the ousted royal, who was marking his 66th birthday on Thursday.
Andrew was last year stripped of all his titles, having been forced out of his former home by his brother King Charles III.
As part of the investigation into Andrew, "we have today (19/2) arrested a man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office," Thames Valley police said in a statement, without naming the suspect, as is common practice in the UK.
Several UK media outlets reported that a fleet of unmarked cars, believed to be police vehicles, was seen arriving early Thursday at the Sandringham estate in eastern England, where Andrew now resides.
New revelations last week appeared to show that Andrew sent potentially confidential documents to convicted US sex offender Epstein during his time as a UK trade envoy.
In a November 2010 email seen by AFP, Andrew appeared to share with Epstein reports on Vietnam, Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Singapore following an official visit to Asia.
The ex-royal, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, also reportedly sent the American financier details of the trip -- on which he was accompanied by Epstein's business associates -- along with investment opportunities months later.
The former prince was eventually stripped of his titles after one of Epstein's victims alleged she had been trafficked to have sex with him.
He has previously denied any wrongdoing in his associations with Epstein.
Charles has voiced "concern" over his brother's actions and, last week, issued an unprecedented statement noting that Buckingham Palace was "ready to support" the police in their inquiries.
Official guidance stipulates that trade envoys have a duty of confidentiality regarding sensitive, commercial, or political information related to their official visits, the BBC has said.
Andrew, whose ties to Epstein have caused a spectacular years-long fall from grace, served as a British trade envoy for a decade from 2001.
Police 'aware' of report
At least nine separate UK police forces have confirmed they are assessing reports which appear to link the former prince to Epstein.
Police in Surrey, southeastern England, said Wednesday they had become "aware" of a redacted report alleging "human trafficking and sexual assaults on a minor" between 1994 and 1996 in the village of Virginia Water.
The report emerged in the latest tranche of millions of files released by the US Justice Department from the investigation into Epstein, who died in prison in 2019.
"After reviewing our systems using the limited information available to us, we found no evidence of these allegations being reported to Surrey Police," its statement read.
"We therefore encourage anyone with information in relation to these allegations to report this to us."
The statement did not name any individuals involved.
But it comes as high-profile figures, including former UK prime minister Gordon Brown, have urged police to probe dozens of flights dating back decades arriving at UK airports and tied to Epstein.
Writing in the New Statesman magazine last week, Brown said he had been "told privately that the investigations related to the former Prince Andrew did not properly check vital evidence of flights."
"I have asked the police to look at this as part of the new inquiry," he stated, adding it appeared "the authorities never knew what was happening."
London's Metropolitan police has also launched an investigation into the relationship between the UK's former ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson, and the disgraced financier.
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