British police admit they bungled search warrant in legal win for former prince Andrew

British police admit they bungled search warrant in legal win for former prince Andrew

While the development is an embarrassment for police, they insist the investigation remains open

British police on Thursday said that search ‌warrants they secured to search properties linked to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor had been issued unlawfully and must be quashed, but said the investigation into King Charles's younger brother was ongoing.

Andrew, 66, was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office in February, linked to his relationship with the late U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and searches were ​carried out at properties in Sandringham and Windsor.

The arrest of ​the senior royal, eighth in line to the throne, was unprecedented in modern times and a Reuters photo of the ashen-faced former prince leaving the police station made front pages around the world.

Police have ⁠said ⁠their investigation, which relates to Andrew's time as ​a British special representative for trade between 2001 and 2011, would be lengthy and incredibly complex.

Andrew, who has not made any public comment since his arrest, subsequently launched a legal challenge and applied ⁠for the search warrants to be quashed.

Thames Valley Police said ‌it now agreed these had not been properly granted by the courts.

"We accept the position that the initial court's decision to issue warrants under the specific piece of legislation used was incorrect and therefore these must be legally quashed," a Thames Valley Police spokesperson said.

"Legal proceedings are currently ongoing to decide how material seized ⁠during the searches will be managed and whether we can lawfully retain it in support of our ongoing investigation."

At a hearing at London's High Court on Thursday, Judge Nicholas Hilliard said the force was applying to keep the seized property, which Andrew was opposing, and ‌the issue would not be settled until next year. The former prince was not in attendance at the hearing.

A spokesperson for Thames Valley Police said it had not returned any material to the royal, other than that which was not deemed to be connected to their investigation.

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While the quashing of the warrants is an embarrassment, it does not stop the police investigation, which ​began after the release of millions of documents by the U.S. Department of Justice relating to Epstein.

Andrew, the second son of the late Queen Elizabeth, has always denied any ⁠wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, and said he regrets their friendship.

The offence of misconduct in public office, which carries a maximum ⁠sentence of life imprisonment, can relate to any serious wrongdoing — from sharing confidential information to corruption and sexual misconduct.

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Andrew is believed to have met Epstein through the British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell.

His behaviour while in their company came under scrutiny in 2011 when the Daily Mail interviewed Virginia Roberts Giuffre, an American woman who was employed by Epstein and Maxwell when she was a teenager.

Roberts Giuffre would later accuse Andrew of sexual assault in an incident she said occurred when she was 17. Andrew denied the allegations but reached a financial settlement with her in a U.S.-based civil lawsuit in 2022.

Andrew was forced to quit all official ​royal duties in 2019 over his ties ⁠with Epstein, just days after a poorly received interview he sat for with BBC News.

King Charles last year stripped Andrew's titles and honours, and he was forced to move from his palatial Royal residence in Windsor to a smaller residence in Norfolk not publicly funded.

Police officers walk the road to the Royal Lodge in Windsor on Feb. 19 after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested by British police on suspicion of misconduct in public office. (Alberto Pezzali/The Associated Press)

Epstein was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell in August 2019 in what was ruled a suicide.

Maxwell was convicted of federal sex trafficking charges in New York and sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022.

Roberts Giuffre died at her Australian residence last year in a death that was ruled a suicide.

A U.S. congressional committee since last year has interviewed several prominent individuals, including former president Bill Clinton, who in the past had dealings with Epstein or Maxwell. While some members of the committee expressed a desire to speak to Andrew, the committee has no legal authority to compel him to appear before the panel.