UK police have taken former UK prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor into custody by Thames Valley Police on suspicion of misconduct in public office, according to the BBC.
Officers are examining claims that a woman was brought into the UK against her will by the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on behalf of Mountbatten-Windsor, the report said.
The claims emerged after a set of documents connected to a US trafficking inquiry into Epstein were made public. Mountbatten-Windsor has repeatedly and firmly rejected all allegations against him.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor taken into custody over Epstein trafficking claims
This marks the first time the former prince, who has long faced questions over his association with Epstein, has been taken into police custody.
When questioned about Mountbatten-Windsor, Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that no one is exempt from the law, though he stopped short of calling on the former prince to present himself to police.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Starmer described the principle as “very important,” adding that it “has to apply in this case in the same way it would in any other case.”
In October, Buckingham Palace announced that Mountbatten-Windsor will be stripped of his royal titles and will move out of his home at the Royal Lodge in Windsor.
