UK authorities have officially acknowledged that search warrants used to examine properties associated with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor were issued unlawfully. Thames Valley Police admitted to a “significant error” in applying the specific legislation during the process, leading to a legal requirement to quash the warrants.
High Court Justice Nicholas Hilliard presided over the hearing on Thursday, clarifying that while the documentation used for the searches was faulty, this outcome does not invalidate the underlying investigation. The judge stated that the ruling does not signal an end to the ongoing inquiries involving King Charles III’s younger brother. But he added, “The fact that the search warrants were quashed does not bring an investigation to an end, or mean that the whole of the investigation was unlawful.”. He remains under investigation, while he was released later that day.
The police investigation gained momentum following the arrest of the former royal on his 66th birthday last February. The legal proceedings center on allegations of misconduct in public office connected to his past associations with Jeffrey Epstein, the late American sex offender who died in a New York prison in August 2019. Mountbatten-Windsor, who was stripped of his royal titles last year, has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Searches were conducted at his former residence in Windsor and his Sandringham estate in eastern England. Following these operations, the former prince initiated a legal challenge contesting the validity of the warrants. Thames Valley Police confirmed that they have not returned any materials seized during these searches unless the items were deemed irrelevant to their current investigation.
The court is now managing a secondary dispute regarding the ownership and retention of the confiscated items. A spokesperson for Thames Valley Police noted that legal proceedings remain active to determine if the force can lawfully retain the seized material to support their ongoing inquiry. Judge Hilliard indicated that this specific issue regarding the property is not expected to be resolved until sometime next year.
