British former royal Andrew has been released following his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Police confirmed that the younger brother of King Charles III was freed Thursday evening. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was seen departing the police station near his residence in eastern England roughly 11 hours after being taken into custody.
The ex-prince was released under investigation, indicating that he has not been formally charged and has not been cleared of the allegations.
“Following a thorough assessment, we have now opened an investigation into this allegation of misconduct in public office. We understand the significant public interest in this case, and we will provide updates at the appropriate time," a police statement quoted Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright as saying.
Detectives detained Andrew on a day he turned 66 at his home as part of an inquiry into his connections with disgraced late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Authorities stated that while the search of Mountbatten-Windsor’s residence had concluded, officers were continuing to examine a second property.
His arrest was the first time in nearly four centuries that a senior British royal was placed under arrest.
“Let me state clearly: the law must take its course. As this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter," King Charles III said in a statement.
The allegations on which Andrew was arrested are different from those made by Virginia Giuffre, who claimed she was trafficked to Britain to have a physical relationship with him in 2001, when she was just 17. Giuffre died by suicide last year.
Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied any wrongdoing in his association with Epstein.
The current investigation pertains to reports that Andrew sent trade information to Epstein, a wealthy investor and convicted sex offender, in 2010, when the-then prince was Britain’s special envoy for international trade. Correspondence between the two men was released by the US Justice Department late last month along with millions of pages of documents from the American investigation into Epstein.
(With AP inputs)
