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What Is Misconduct in Public Office and Why It Is Difficult to Prosecute

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was held for 11 hours and released pending investigation into allegedly sharing confidential government documents, with potential life imprisonment if charged.

  • On Thursday, February 19, 2026, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested at his Sandringham home on suspicion of misconduct in public office and spent about 11 hours in custody before release.
  • Thames Valley Police said it is assessing whether confidential reports were shared with Jeffrey Epstein during Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's role as UK trade envoy, based on US DOJ files and claims of passing confidential material.
  • The Crown Prosecution Service must apply the full code test with evidential and public interest stages before charging, while legal experts say misconduct in public office carries life imprisonment and is hard to prove for senior figures like Mountbatten-Windsor, who was likely interviewed under caution.
  • Police searches continue in Norfolk and Berkshire as the Crown Prosecution Service reviews evidence, while King Charles III offered his `full and wholehearted support and co-operation` and Virginia Giuffre's family thanked Thames Valley Police, saying `no one is above the law, not even royalty`.
  • The Public Office Bill is currently before Parliament, following the Law Commission's five-year-old call to rework the complex offence and rare arrests likened to King Charles I.
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The National broke the news in Glasgow, United Kingdom on Thursday, February 19, 2026.
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