Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office, after a raft of disclosures related to his relationship with late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The King’s younger brother, formerly Prince Andrew, has for years faced allegations over his contacts with the disgraced financier. The most recent emerged in more than three million pages of documents related to Mr. Epstein, released by the U.S. Justice Department. Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor, 66, has denied any wrongdoing in his friendship with Mr. Epstein.
Here are some key moments in Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor’s fall from grace.
The then-prince is forced to resign as Britain’s special trade envoy following the first reports of his links to Mr. Epstein, who was convicted and jailed three years earlier for sex offences involving a minor.
July
Mr. Epstein is arrested for a second time on charges of sex trafficking and later dies by suicide in a New York jail cell. The news focuses public attention on allegations that the prince had sex with at least one underage teenager trafficked by Mr. Epstein. The prince denies the allegations.
Nov. 16
The prince tries to deflect criticism by agreeing to an on-camera grilling by BBC reporter Emily Maitlis. It backfires when he defends his relationship with Mr. Epstein, fails to show empathy for his victims and offers explanations of his behavior that many people find hard to believe. The prince says he broke off contact with Mr. Epstein in December, 2010, a date that will come back to haunt him.
Nov. 20
The prince announces he will suspend all royal duties “for the foreseeable future.” Four days later, the prince is stripped of his role as patron of 230 charities.
The prince agrees to settle a New York civil lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre, who alleged that she was forced to have sex with the prince when she was 17. While he didn’t admit to her allegations, he acknowledged she had suffered as a victim of sexual abuse. Legal experts estimate that the undisclosed settlement cost the prince as much as US$10-million. The source of the funds has remained murky.
April 25
Virginia Giuffre dies by suicide in Australia, where she had lived since about 2002.
Oct. 17
The prince says he is giving up his royal titles, including that of Duke of York, and other honours because “the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the royal family.”
Oct. 21
In her posthumous book, Ms. Giuffre recounts details of how she first met the prince in March, 2001, and that she was forced to have sex with him on three separate occasions.
Oct. 30
The King strips his brother of his remaining titles and honours, including the one he has held since birth – prince. From henceforth, he will be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor – he subsequently gains a hyphen.
Jan. 30
The U.S. Justice Department publishes the Epstein files, which appear to reveal further unsavory details about the relationship between Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor and Mr. Epstein. One picture shows Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor crouching over a motionless and unnamed woman in what appears to be Mr. Epstein’s New York apartment. Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor is later alleged to have sent Mr. Epstein confidential reports from a 2010 tour of Southeast Asia, which he undertook as Britain’s trade envoy. That proved to be the catalyst for his arrest.
Feb. 2
Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor leaves his mansion at Windsor Castle to live in a much smaller property on the Sandringham estate, as the King had ordered him to do.
Feb. 9
The King indicates that he is ready to “support” police examining claims that his brother gave confidential information to Mr. Epstein.
Feb. 19
Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor is arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Thames Valley Police, which oversees an area west of London, including Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor’s former home, said it was “assessing” reports that he sent trade reports to Mr. Epstein in 2010.