Police accept Andrew's search warrants were unlawful, but Epstein probe continues

The ruling

Thames Valley Police accepted at the High Court in London on Thursday that the search warrants used at two properties linked to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor were wrongly granted and must be quashed. The searches took place in February at Sandringham in eastern England and at Windsor. The warrants were granted on 18 February 2026, and the court issued them under section 8 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 when they should have been issued under section 9. Police described the problem as a procedural error. Andrew did not attend the hearing, and Judge Nicholas Hilliard issued a written ruling on Thursday.

“We accept the position that the initial court's decision to issue warrants under the specific piece of legislation used was incorrect and therefore these must be legally quashed.”

What stays open

Judge Hilliard stressed that the ruling does not end the inquiry, and police said their criminal investigation is still ongoing. The judge made clear that the decision does not make the whole investigation unlawful, which leaves the case in the hands of investigators.

“The fact that the search warrants were quashed does not bring an investigation to an end, or mean that the whole of the investigation was unlawful.”

Police still hold the documents and electronic devices seized during the February searches. Hilliard said he would decide in due course on a police application to keep that material, and Andrew opposes the application. A private hearing on the matter is due next year, and it is expected not before 2027. The judge explained why he is weighing the request.

“There would be little point in handing property back if it could then simply be lawfully seized under some other provision.”

The Epstein inquiry

Andrew was arrested on 19 February 2026, his 66th birthday, on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Police suspect him of leaking confidential government documents to Jeffrey Epstein while he was a British trade representative between 2001 and 2011. The inquiry began after the US Department of Justice released millions of documents relating to Epstein. Email exchanges that the department released in February show, according to justice authorities, that sensitive information was passed to Epstein in 2010 and 2011. Andrew has denied any wrongdoing and has said he regrets his friendship with Epstein. He has not been charged, and British prosecutors have not yet said whether they intend to bring charges. Police had already admitted errors in the warrant papers in July without making that public.

Background and what comes next

Andrew stepped down from official duties in 2019. In October 2025, after years of criticism over his ties to Epstein, he announced he was giving up his royal titles while flatly denying the allegations against him. King Charles also stripped him of his titles and honours that month, according to Open. Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein's main accusers, stated in court documents that she was forced to have sex with the former prince, an allegation he has always denied. Epstein died in prison in the United States in 2019. The next formal step in the case is the closed hearing on the seized material, which is not expected before 2027.