"Full, Fair, Proper Process": King Charles After Brother Andrew's Arrest

The British royal family will offer its "wholehearted support and co-operation" as the police investigate ex-royal Andrew and links to disgraced American financier and convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, King Charles said in a brief statement issued Thursday afternoon.

The statement came hours after Andrew was arrested - on his 66th birthday - from the royal family's estate in Sandringham on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

"I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office. What now follows is the full, fair, and proper process by which this is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the authorities," King Charles said.

"In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and co-operation," the King, Andrew's older brother, "Let me state clearly: the law must take its course."

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"As this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter," he concluded, "Meanwhile, my family and I will continue in our duty and service to you all."

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Details of the allegations against Andrew have not been released yet, but they could be connected to his name and photograph appearing in a tranche of redacted documents from Jeffrey Epstein's office.

Dubbed the 'Epstein Files', these included photographs of him on his hands and knees, and crouched over a woman whose face was redacted to maintain privacy. Two other photographs showed him touching the woman's stomach, while he looks directly into the camera in another.

Photos of Andrew were released by the US as part of the Epstein Files.

Virginia Giuffre, one of dozens of women trafficked and sexually abused as part of Epstein's network, had accused Andrew of having sex with her when she was 17. Andrew paid millions -as much as US$17 million, some report said - to her in an out-of-court settlement in 2022.

However, British broadcaster BBC noted Andrew 'has not been arrested for anything surrounding Virginia Giuffre'. Instead, the arrest seemed linked to 'activities while he was a trade envoy', it said.

This was after Giuffre, who died by suicide in April 2025, filed a civil suit against him in New York. Andrew denied wrongdoing but acknowledged her suffering as a victim of sex trafficking.

Andrew has also denied any wrongdoing on any matter related to the Epstein files.

PM Keir Starmer on allegations

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has also responded to Andrew's arrest, stressing that "nobody is above the law". Starmer told the BBC, "Anybody who has got information relating to any aspect of violence against women and girls has, in my view, a duty to come forward, whoever they are."

He added, "One of the core principles in our system is that everybody is equal under the law, and nobody is above the law, and it is really important that is applied across the board."