SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Disgraced, stripped of royal titles and now released from jail after a few hours of detention that shocked Britain - Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, brother of King Charles, was arrested today in an investigation that stems from the latest release of the Epstein files. This is the first arrest of a senior British royal in nearly 400 years. NPR's Lauren Frayer reports from London.
LAUREN FRAYER, BYLINE: The day began with a cluster of unmarked cars pulling up to the royal Sandringham Estate in the drizzle. Then a statement from police. A man in his 60s had been arrested nearby. Authorities were searching properties in Norfolk where Sandringham is located, and in Berkshire, home to Windsor Castle.
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FRAYER: Then the suspect's identity.
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UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #1: The king's brother, taken into police custody.
FRAYER: Today, on former Prince Andrew's 66th birthday, he became the first senior royal arrested since the English Civil War in the 1600s. It was the Epstein files that brought him down. Andrew admits he was friends with Epstein. He settled a lawsuit with one of the sex offender's underage victims and has long said he strenuously denies any wrongdoing.
But after the release of the latest files by the U.S. Department of Justice, British police began investigating Andrew's correspondence with Epstein dating back to the years 2001 to 2011, when Andrew was a U.K. trade envoy and allegedly shared with Epstein things like government itineraries, investment plans and notes from official foreign trips. That information may have been covered by the United Kingdom's Official Secrets Act. Police say Andrew has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
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UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #2: What's your reaction to your brother's arrest, Sir?
FRAYER: The king was heading to a London Fashion Week event when all of this went down. He issued a statement referring to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, no reference to them being brothers. The king said he feels deepest concern and that, quote, "the law must take its course." What now follows, the king said, is a full, fair and proper process. That process could lead to an unprecedented trial, pitting the Crown Prosecution Service against the brother of the crown itself - a brother who, as of tonight, still remains eighth in line for the throne. Lauren Frayer, NPR News, London. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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