Timeline of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's unprecedented arrest from Charles statement to Trump's remarks
Everything we know so far...
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest took place on his 66th birthday, February 19, at the royal estate of Sandringham.
Since reports first emerged and a statement was later issued by Thames Valley Police, speculation has been swirling.
Everyone wants to know all the information when it comes to the disgraced former prince’s shocking arrest…
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s unprecedented arrest hour by hour
Keep reading for an hour by hour breakdown – as well as fresh reports of new, disturbing images of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
Police were spotted at a property on the Sandringham Estate on Thursday morning, at around 8am UK time.
Reports quickly emerged within the hour, with all eyes looking to Andrew’s new temporary residence of Wood Farm on the Sandringham Estate.
The disgraced former prince was taken into custody that morning and he was not released until yesterday evening.
Andrew was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The specific details of the allegations of misconduct being investigated are unknown.
The royal has faced allegations of sharing sensitive and confidential documents to late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein when he was UK’s trade envoy in 2010.
Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein and has vehemently denied allegations of sexual assault against him.
This arrest should not be seen as any indication of guilt and there are no charges yet.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrested in Sandringham
Upon his return home, where a very unflattering image of the royal was taken during the car journey, more and more questions have emerged.
What happened to Andrew whilst he was in custody? What happens next? Here is everything we know so far…
At around 07:30 on February 19 GMT: Thames Valley Police told the Home Office that they planned to arrest Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. A statement from the National Police Chiefs’ Council, as per reports, explained that this is “in line with routine practice”.
At approximately 08:00: Police officers in unmarked vehicles homed in on Sandringham Estate in Norfolk – the current residence of Andrew. The officers, who were not in uniform, arrested Andrew on suspicion of misconduct in public office. No images appeared to capture Andrew’s arrest.
09:54: As per BBC, the outlet was the first to confirm Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest. In the minutes that followed, images of unmarked vehicles on Sandringham Estate started to emerge, as well as a slew of reports.
10:02: Royal Insider reports that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on his 66th birthday, February 19, 2026.
10:03: Thames Valley Police issued a statement. In the statement, they confirmed that a man in his sixties had been arrested and had been taken into custody. They also disclosed that they had started carrying out searches at addresses in Norfolk and Berkshire.
11:15: The Norfolk Constabulary told the BBC that it was “supporting a Thames Valley Police investigation into misconduct in a public office”.
Sandringham, Buckingham Palace and Royal Lodge swarmed by media
Between 11:15 and noon: Reaction explodes and media began to swarm Sandringham, Buckingham Palace and Royal Lodge at Windsor.
The late Virginia Giuffre’s family spoke out in reaction to Andrew’s arrest. They said their broken hearts had been “lifted” in wake of the news.
Virginia Giuffre’s family speak out
Ms Giuffre, who died last year aged 41, alleged that she had been forced to have sex with Andrew on three occasions when she was 17 after being trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew has always vehemently denied Ms Giuffre’s allegations.
It’s worth noting that Andrew has not been arrested for anything surrounding Ms Giuffre.
King Charles issues statement
12:00: King Charles III speaks out. In a statement, he shared his “deepest concern” about his brother’s arrest. The monarch also reiterated: “Let me state clearly: the law must take its course.” The king also confirmed his “full and wholehearted support and co-operation” with the authorities.
Elsewhere, Queen Camilla reportedly arrived at an engagement in Westminster, central London, at around noon.
12:43: The Press Association reported that the Prince and Princess of Wales support the king’s feelings in regards to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest. Seemingly echoing King Charles’s statement, without releasing their own.
Throughout the afternoon: King Charles was photographed with Francisco Lima Mena, Ambassador of El Salvador, who presented him with his credentials during an audience at St James’s Palace.
Royal duties continue
The monarch also greeted the ambassador of Spain Emma Aparici Vazquez de Parga as well as the High Commissioner for Kenya Maurice Makoloo
The royals continued with their duties. Queen Camilla attended a lunchtime orchestral concert, and was greeted by representatives as she got there.
Reports emerged stating that Princess Anne was set to visit His Majesty’s Prison in Leeds, ahead of a packed itinerary in Yorkshire over the next couple of days.
The Princess Royal did indeed fulfil an engagement at HMP Leeds, as Patron of the Butler Trust.
Meanwhile, the king was pictured at the opening of London Fashion Week in central London. He was also snapped with fashion designer Stella McCartney front row as he observed a fashion show.
An image later emerged of Queen Camilla photographed with chief content officer and artist director at Condé Nast, Anna Wintour, at St James’s Palace.
King Charles and Queen Camilla heckled
Reports alleged that both Charles and Camilla were respectively heckled. Both royals were asked about Andrew’s arrest. The couple, although fulfilling duties separately at the time, both did not respond to the yells and waved on at gathered observers instead.
Observers anxiously awaited more news as the ordeal rolled on into the evening.
18:50: A black Range Rover was spotted as it arrived at Aylsham Police Investigation Centre, where Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was held.
BBC Home and legal correspondent Dominic Casciani has since explained what information we can glean to indicate what may have been happening to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor during his time in custody.
A glimpse at Andrew’s time in custody
He said: “At the station, the custody sergeant would have been responsible for verifying he was indeed the suspect. They would have also checked if he was in a fit state, physically and mentally, to be booked in. Andrew would have had his rights read to him – this includes regular breaks for food and to go to the toilet, and the right to tell someone where he is.
“It’s likely he would then have had this mugshot, fingerprints and DNA taken. Andrew would then have had to decide whether to seek advice from the 24/7 local duty solicitor while he waited for his preferred criminal lawyer, assuming he has one, to arrive.
“While it’s of course highly unusual for a local lawyer to deal with a royal like this, these people are experts in helping suspects in the first hours of arrest. His cell would have come with a toilet, and he would have been given the offer of bedding. Given how long he was held, he would likely have received two meals.”
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor photographed leaving Aylsham police station
19:00: Andrew was photographed in the back seat of a car leaving Aylsham police station. The disgraced former prince appeared to be lowering his seat down in a bid to hide from photographers. He has been described as looking “shell-shocked,” with his collar upturned. The wide-eyed image has since been widely circulated.
Phil Noble, a photographer with the Reuters news agency, who snapped the photo, said of capturing the image, which was one of six photos he managed to garner of the former prince as the vehicle drove by him: “You can plan and use your experience and know roughly what you need to do, but still everything needs to align.”
He said said capture an image of a moving car largely requires “more luck than judgement,” as per BBC.
Thames Valley Police confirms that Andrew has been released under investigation
19:37: Thames Valley Police confirms that Andrew has been released under investigation. The service also shared that searches in Norfolk had concluded. However, it appeared that searches have been ongoing in Berkshire.
21:30: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was photographed returning to his temporary home of Wood Farm, at Sandringham in Norfolk. Meanwhile a police presence and clamouring media remained in the area.
More images from earlier in the day also emerged, depicting unmarked police vehicles arriving at Royal Lodge at Windsor.
US president Donald Trump addresses Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest
At around 22:20 GMT: US president Donald Trump addressed Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to an appearance in Georgia, he said of the matter: “I think it’s a shame. I think it’s very sad. I think it’s so bad for the royal family. It’s very, very sad. To me, it’s a very sad thing.”
He also described King Charles “who’s obviously coming to our country very soon” as a “a fantastic man, king”.
February 20 at around 06:00: Today, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is unsurprisingly the front page of most major newspapers in the UK. He was global news last night, going on into the early hours and questions continued to swirl this morning.
The scandal continues
At approximately 07:00: BBC reported that whilst Thames Valley Police had no further comment to add, the search of Royal Lodge has appeared to continue for a second day, as per their reports.
Between 08:00 and 10:00: Media swarmed Sandringham again. Meanwhile, more unmarked vehicles, seemingly police vehicles, continued to arrive at Royal Lodge.
Crown Prosecution Service share statement
11:38: Reports claimed that Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had not yet been formally involved in Thames Valley Police’s investigation into Andrew.
A CPS spokesperson said: “We are in close contact with police regarding high-profile individuals. We remain ready to support any police investigations if needed.”
New images from the Epstein Files allegedly featuring Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor emerge
At around 12:30: Disturbing reports emerge including images of an individual, who appears to be Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, playing with a so-called ‘boob ball’ with an undisclosed toddler.
Another image also seems to show the disgraced prince sat with the toddler, whose face is blurred in the images, on a sofa. These images are reportedly from 2011.
No further context has been provided. And thus far, at the time of writing, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s team are yet to comment.
The never-seen-before pictures are said to have emerged in the Epstein Files, as per MailOnline.
Being named or pictured in the Epstein files doesn’t indicate any wrongdoing.
Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.
Representatives for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Buckingham Palace have been contacted for comment.
Police activity has continued at Royal Lodge
At around 13:20: It was reported that police activity had continued at Royal Lodge, Windsor, the former home of Andrew.
At around 14:20: Reports claimed that a sizeable police presence also remained at Sandringham Estate.
14:50: Princess Anne was photographed continuing her public facing duties. Today she has visited a defence factory in Rotherham, a crisp factory in Sheffield and a nursery.
Reportedly, she ignored a reporter in Sheffield when they shouted out to her, asking how she felt about Andrew’s arrest.
Met Police issues new statement
15:30: Emerging aerial footage has shown police officers gathered around Royal Lodge.
At around 16:00: As per reports, Metropolitan Police has said they are “identifying and contacting former and serving officers who may have worked closely, in a protection capacity, with Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor”.
They stated: “They have been asked to consider carefully whether anything they saw or heard during that period of service may be relevant to our ongoing reviews and to share any information that could assist us.”
Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein. This arrest should not be seen as any indication of guilt and there are no charges yet.
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