British authorities have taken former Prince Andrew into custody following the release of U.S. Justice Department files that detail his communications with Jeffrey Epstein while serving as a U.K. trade envoy.
According to the New York Post, the documents include emails showing Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor forwarding official reports to the disgraced financier, including summaries of trips to mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Vietnam.
In a December 2010 message sent on Christmas Eve, Andrew allegedly shared a briefing on investment opportunities tied to reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province.
“Attached is a confidential brief produced by the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Helmand Province for International Investment Opportunities,” the email reads.
At the time, Andrew’s envoy role required him to safeguard sensitive trade information under government rules.
Another message suggested he was circulating the material more broadly.
“I am going to offer this elsewhere in my network (including Abu Dhabi) but would be very interested in your comments, views or ideas as to whom I could also usefully show this to attract some interest,” the email continues.
“I have sadly found out that Gates Foundation doesn’t do anything in Afghanistan,” he added, referencing the nonprofit founded by Bill Gates.
The files also indicate that Andrew and Epstein discussed launching a business venture in China after Epstein had already been convicted of child sex crimes.
Communications about the plan, reportedly routed through a liaison named David Stern, continued for years following Epstein’s release from prison.
“We very discreetly make PA [Prince Andrew] part of it and use his ‘aura and access,’” one email states.
Separate correspondence appears to show Andrew requesting an internal British government memo on Iceland’s financial crisis through his then-deputy private secretary, Amanda Thirsk, and sharing information with banker Jonathan Rowland.
Police in the U.K. confirmed the arrest of “a man in his 60s from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office” and said searches were underway at properties in Berkshire and Norfolk.
The investigation is distinct from prior allegations connected to Epstein’s sex-trafficking operation, though authorities have said they are reviewing claims about flights into regional U.K. airports.
Andrew, who had been living at Royal Lodge in Windsor before relocating to a residence on the Sandringham Estate, has denied the accusations.
