'He was never a prince': Virginia Giuffre's family break silence after Andrew's arrest
The family of Andrew's late accuser Virginia Giuffre has broken its silence following the royal's arrest at his Sandringham home.
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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office at his Sandringham home today after plain-clothed officers were seen outside the royal residence.
Following reports police attended the estate, Thames Valley Police confirmed a man in his 60s had been arrested and is being interviewed under caution.
Following Andrew's arrest, the family of the late Virginia Guiffre, who accused the royal of sexually assaulting her when she was 17, released a statement.
Read more: 'The law must take its course': King Charles reacts in wake of Andrew arrest
In an emotional statement, the family said: "At last.
"Today, our broken hearts have been lifted at the news that no one is above the law, not even royalty.
"On behalf of our sister, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, we extend our gratitude to the UK's Thames Valley Police for their investigation and arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
"He was never a prince. For survivors everywhere, Virginia did this for you."
Their lawyer added: "This is truly a monumental moment in the Epstein survivor’s relentless pursuit of justice.
"Virginia Guiffre worked for years to shine a light on the crimes being committed by Epstein and his co-conspirators and to send the message that no one should be above the law and the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor today is a step toward that accountability."
Importantly, Andrew's arrest does not relate to Ms Guiffre's allegations, but rather his time as trade envoy to the UK.
Misconduct in public office is a serious offence and carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Thames Valley Police previously said the force was reviewing allegations that a woman was trafficked to the UK by Jeffrey Epstein to have a sexual encounter with Andrew, and claims he shared sensitive information with the paedophile while serving as the UK’s trade envoy.
A Thames Valley Police spokesperson told LBC: "As part of the investigation, we have today (19/2) arrested a man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office and are carrying out searches at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk.
"The man remains in police custody at this time.
"We will not be naming the arrested man, as per national guidance. Please also remember that this case is now active so care should be taken with any publication to avoid being in contempt of court."
Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright said: “Following a thorough assessment, we have now opened an investigation into this allegation of misconduct in public office.
“It is important that we protect the integrity and objectivity of our investigation as we work with our partners to investigate this alleged offence."
Emails released by the US Department of Justice appeared to show the former duke sharing reports of official visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore.
One email, dated November 2010, appeared to be forwarded by Andrew five minutes after being sent by his then-special adviser Amir Patel.
Another, on Christmas Eve 2010, appeared to send Epstein a confidential brief on investment opportunities in the reconstruction of Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing and claims he never met Ms Giuffre.
Despite this, the former Prince paid her a reported £12million in an out-of-court settlement in 2022.