Ex‑Prince Andrew asks High Court to quash Epstein‑related search warrants

Former prince Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor has launched a High Court challenge seeking to quash search warrants obtained by police before his arrest in February 2026, the judiciary confirmed on Monday.

Private hearing and legal issues

The London court will hold a private hearing on Thursday over the challenge, the judiciary said in a statement. The judiciary’s press office said:

“the case concerns an application by Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor for a judicial review to quash search warrants issued by a judge at the Central Criminal Court on 18 February 2026”.

Police application and comment

The judiciary added that Thursday’s hearing also concerns an application by Thames Valley Police to restrict access to court documents in the matter. In a separate statement the force said:

“Whilst our investigation into misconduct in public office continues, we are engaged in legal proceedings in relation to warrants previously obtained from the Central Criminal Court. As these legal proceedings are currently ongoing, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further.”

Background to the challenge

Thames Valley Police arrested the 66‑year‑old on his birthday, 19 February 2026, on suspicion of misconduct in public office related to his links to late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He was released later that day and remains under investigation. The ex‑prince has denied all wrongdoing.

Officers searched both his home on the Sandringham royal estate and his former Royal Lodge residence in Windsor as part of the operation. The warrants being challenged were granted by a judge sitting at London’s Old Bailey, formally the Central Criminal Court, on 18 February 2026.

Significance and reporting

The Daily Telegraph reported the legal challenge late on Sunday and noted it was, according to the newspaper, the first time a member of Britain’s royal family has challenged the lawfulness of criminal proceedings against them since the trial of Charles I in 1649. The paper said Andrew’s legal team wants to examine whether the search warrants were lawful.

Recent context

The judiciary’s statement and police comment come after a year in which the ex‑prince was stripped of his royal titles. Documents released by the United States earlier this year included emails in which Andrew appeared to share potentially confidential information with Jeffrey Epstein.