Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has secured a High Court ruling that search warrants used to raid two of his properties in February were unlawful.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has secured a High Court ruling that search warrants used to raid two of his properties in February were unlawful, after Thames Valley Police accepted a legal error in how the warrants were obtained.

At a hearing on 8 October 2026, Mr Justice Nicholas Hilliard recorded that the former prince and the force had agreed the warrants must be quashed. The warrants, issued the previous day by a judge at the Central Criminal Court (the Old Bailey), authorised searches of Mountbatten-Windsor’s residence on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk and his former home, Royal Lodge in Windsor. Officers executed them on 19 February—his 66th birthday—when he was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

Thames Valley Police stated that the initial court decision to grant the warrants under the specific piece of legislation relied upon was incorrect. A force spokesperson said the agreement “relates specifically to a decision made by the court regarding the legal basis for these and is not a judgement on our ongoing investigation.” The force added that it had presented the necessary information and followed correct processes, but accepted the warrants “must be legally quashed.”

The arrest followed the release of documents by the US Department of Justice concerning the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Those materials prompted questions about whether Mountbatten-Windsor, while serving as the UK’s special representative for international trade and investment between 2001 and 2011, had forwarded confidential government information to Epstein. He has denied any wrongdoing connected to Epstein and has previously said he regrets the association.

He has made no public comment since the February arrest and did not attend Thursday’s hearing.

The criminal investigation itself continues. Police have applied to retain material seized during the searches, arguing it could still be lawfully held under a different statutory provision. Mountbatten-Windsor opposes that application. Mr Justice Hilliard noted that quashing the warrants does not end the investigation or render the entire inquiry unlawful, and said a further hearing on the seized material is expected in 2027. Items not connected to the inquiry have already been returned; the remainder remains in police custody pending the court’s decision.

The case forms part of a longer period of scrutiny of Mountbatten-Windsor’s links to Epstein. In late 2025 King Charles stripped him of the style of prince and the Dukedom of York. The February arrest—the first of a senior member of the royal family in modern times on suspicion of a serious offence—was described by Buckingham Palace at the time as a matter in which the law must take its course. No charges have been brought.