OMG! It turns out we completely misunderstood Andrew! The British public was left speechless in shock when the King’s brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was just declared the WINNER of a Supreme Court case over a horrifying allegation that cost him many important things a year ago… Yet just as Andrew was preparing to savor a serious victory celebration, Judge Hilliard issued another shocking statement.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has secured a significant legal victory after a High Court judge ruled that search warrants used by Thames Valley Police to search two properties connected to him were unlawful.
The former Prince Andrew had challenged the legality of warrants that enabled officers to search his residence on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk and his former home, Royal Lodge, in Windsor. The searches took place in February, shortly after he was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
At a hearing in London on Thursday, Mr Justice Nicholas Hilliard confirmed that an agreement had been reached between Mountbatten-Windsor and Thames Valley Police that the warrants should be quashed.
The court heard that the original application for the warrants contained a significant legal error. Police accepted that the warrants had been obtained under an incorrect statutory provision, meaning the decision authorising the searches could not stand.
The ruling represents a notable development in the continuing investigation surrounding Mountbatten-Windsor, but it does not bring the police inquiry itself to an end.
Justice Hilliard made clear that cancelling the warrants did not mean the wider investigation was unlawful. Thames Valley Police remains free to pursue its inquiries, while a separate legal process will determine what can happen to material seized during the searches.
The police force has applied for permission to retain material taken from the properties on the basis that it could potentially have been lawfully seized under a different legal provision. Further proceedings concerning the seized material are expected.
Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on February 19, his 66th birthday, and questioned under caution over allegations connected to his past relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. The investigation centres on suspected misconduct in public office and includes allegations that sensitive information may have been shared with Epstein while Mountbatten-Windsor was serving as Britain’s trade envoy.
He was later released under investigation without being charged and has consistently denied wrongdoing.
The case has attracted considerable attention because of Mountbatten-Windsor’s former position within the Royal Family and his longstanding association with Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died in 2019.
The police searches at Sandringham and Royal Lodge followed his arrest and involved officers examining properties and removing material for the investigation. Mountbatten-Windsor subsequently challenged the legal basis on which the searches had been authorised.
The High Court proceedings focused specifically on whether the warrants had been properly obtained rather than on the allegations underlying the police investigation.
Thames Valley Police said the court’s original decision to issue the warrants under the particular legislation used had been incorrect. The force stressed that the legal finding related to the warrants themselves and did not amount to a ruling against the broader investigation.
The outcome therefore gives Mountbatten-Windsor a victory on the legality of the searches, while leaving the underlying criminal inquiry intact.
The former Duke of York has faced a dramatic decline in his royal status in recent years. In 2025, King Charles III removed his brother’s right to use the title of prince and stripped him of his dukedom amid continuing scrutiny of his association with Epstein.
Mountbatten-Windsor also left Royal Lodge and subsequently moved to accommodation on the Sandringham Estate.
Despite his diminished public role, the legal proceedings surrounding him remain closely watched because they involve questions over police powers, the handling of evidence and the circumstances surrounding the criminal investigation.
The High Court ruling does not determine whether Mountbatten-Windsor committed any offence. No criminal charge has been brought against him in connection with the current investigation, and the allegations remain matters for the ongoing legal process.
For now, the central consequence of Thursday’s decision is that the warrants used to search his properties have been declared unlawful, while police continue to pursue the investigation and seek a legal route for dealing with evidence obtained during the searches.