High Court Quashes Search Warrants for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor Following Police Legal Error

British police have acknowledged that search warrants executed on properties associated with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor were issued unlawfully and must be set aside, though authorities emphasized that the criminal inquiry into King Charles’s younger brother remains active.

High Court Justice Nicholas Hilliard announced on Thursday that Thames Valley Police committed a "significant error" when applying for the warrants to search properties belonging to the former British prince. The police force conceded that the search warrants lacked legal validity.

However, Justice Hilliard clarified that nullifying the warrants does not conclude the investigation or invalidate the entirety of the probe. A spokesperson for Thames Valley Police confirmed that the force accepts the initial court decision was incorrect under the specific legislation utilized, necessitating the legal quashing of the warrants.

Authorities are currently involved in legal proceedings to determine how to manage the materials seized during the searches and whether law enforcement can lawfully retain them for the ongoing investigation. The spokesperson noted that no material has been returned to the royal, with the exception of items deemed unrelated to the case.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on his 66th birthday in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office tied to his associations with late American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Although released later that day, he continues to be under investigation. Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his royal titles last year due to his connections to Epstein, who died in a New York prison in the United States in August 2019.

The disgraced royal has consistently denied any wrongdoing. After police searched his former home in Windsor, west of London, and Sandringham, eastern England, he initiated a legal challenge regarding the legality of the obtained warrants.

During Thursday’s hearing at London’s High Court, Justice Hilliard stated that the police force is seeking to retain the seized property—a move that Mountbatten-Windsor is contesting—with a final resolution expected next year.