In a major blow to the British royal family, former Prince Andrew was arrested amid ongoing scandal around his past association with Jeffrey Epstein.
According to BBC, the former Duke of York, who noes goes by Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office and is currently in police custody.
The arrest follows allegations revealed in millions of pages of files related to Epstein and if upheld, it would mark the first time a senior royal in modern history has been taken into custody.
Thames Valley Police confirmed Andrew’s arrest on Thursday without mentioning his name, but several British media reports claim it is, in fact, King Charles’ disgraced brother.
Their full statement read: “As part of the investigation, we have today (19/2) arrested a man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office and are carrying out searches at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk.
“The man remains in police custody at this time. We will not be naming the arrested man, as per national guidance.
“Please also remember that this case is now active so care should be taken with any publication to avoid being in contempt of court.
“Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright said: ‘Following a thorough assessment, we have now opened an investigation into this allegation of misconduct in public office.
“‘It is important that we protect the integrity and objectivity of our investigation as we work with our partners to investigate this alleged offence.
“‘We understand the significant public interest in this case, and we will provide updates at the appropriate time.’”