The British Monarchy On Thursday (19 February 2026), former Prince Andrew was arrested by the police in the case related to Jeffrey Epstein, after which he was kept in custody for questioning for several hours. In British history, such action against a senior member of the royal family is considered very strange. The surprising thing is that Prince Andrew was arrested on the day of his 66th birthday.

At around 8am on Thursday morning, police raided Andrew’s new residence on the royal Sandringham estate in Norfolk and took him into custody. “A 60-year-old man from Norfolk has been arrested on suspicion of abuse of public office,” Thames Valley Police said in an official statement. As per the rules in Britain, the police did not make the name public. By evening, police confirmed that the arrested person had been released pending investigation. Although the search operation in Norfolk has been completed, investigations are continuing at another property in Berkshire, believed to be Andrew’s former residence Royal Lodge.

statement of king charles iii

King Charles III issued a written statement immediately after the incident. He said, ‘The law should be allowed to take its course.’ He also assured that Buckingham Palace will provide full cooperation to the police. Although the matter was serious, King Charles continued with his scheduled public appearances, including the opening of London Fashion Week. This was seen as an attempt to maintain the stability and normalcy of the monarchy. Andrew was stripped of his royal titles last year and was also removed from his official residence in Windsor. Despite this, he still remains at eighth place in the list of succession.

Controversy related to Jeffrey Epstein

Andrew’s name has been linked to the Jeffrey Epstein case for a long time. Recently unsealed documents claim he sent potentially confidential reports to Epstein when he was Britain’s trade envoy in 2010. These reports are said to include information related to official visits to Asian countries. Epstein was convicted in the US in 2008 of soliciting a minor for prostitution. He died in jail in 2019.

Legal consequences and possible punishment

In Britain, the allegation of Misconduct in Public Office is considered serious. According to the Crown Prosecution Service, the maximum punishment for this crime can be life imprisonment. At least nine British police forces are reviewing documents related to Epstein, many of which are said to be related to Andrew. Recently, after the files released by the US Justice Department, the scope of investigation has increased further.

RJD MP Sudhakar Singh has written a letter to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. He has demanded to break all types of relations of the state government with Bill Gates and his organization Gates Foundation with immediate effect. Sudhakar Singh has written this letter on February 17, which he also posted from his X handle on Wednesday (February 18, 2026).

Sudhakar said that when the chairman of Gates Foundation is under the scanner of questions related to Epstein files and sexual exploitation, it would be appropriate that the Bihar government distance itself from Bill Gates’ organization Gates Foundation with immediate effect. Also keep distance from the Center for Health and Agriculture Policy run by him. He has also said that the senior IAS officers with whom the Bill Gates Foundation has appointed assistants at salaries worth lakhs of rupees, should be investigated.

‘Participation with the organization of a sexual exploiter…’

In his letter, the MP has written, “I demand from the state government and the Chief Minister that the Bihar government immediately distance itself from all relations with Bill Gates and his organization Gates Foundation. The involvement of an organization of a sexual exploiter in the policy decisions related to the daughters of Bihar can never be accepted.”

He said, “If Gates Foundation representatives are working with senior IAS officers in Bihar, then it should be clear that What is the legal basis for his appointment? Has this happened through a transparent process under the MoU (Memorandum of Understanding)? Are there adequate security provisions for sharing of sensitive policy information? Is this having any adverse impact on the sovereign policy-making process of the state government?”

Sudhakar Singh also raised questions on the Center for Health and Agriculture Policy sponsored by Gates Foundation running in Patna. Said that for what purpose it is being run and why information about state policy matters and schemes is being shared with the Gates Foundation, it is a big question.

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