Search warrants for former Prince Andrew's homes were unlawful

Thames Valley Police accepted in court that the search warrants used to enter the homes of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor after his arrest in February were unlawful.

As reported by the BBC, the problem concerned the legal basis used to issue the orders. The court found that they should have been issued under another provision of the UK Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.

The judge noted that the annulment of the orders does not mean the end of the proceedings nor does it mean that the entire investigation was conducted illegally.

Documents and electronic devices secured during the searches will remain at the disposal of the police at least until the next hearing, scheduled for 2027. The court indicated that material may be retained if, after returning it to the owner, it could be legally secured again on a different basis.

Arrested in February

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on February 19 on suspicion of improper performance of a public function. The investigation is related to documents published by the US Department of Justice.

According to the BBC, the documents allegedly suggested that in 2010 - when he was the British trade representative - he passed confidential information to Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender. Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied any wrongdoing in the Epstein cases.

Thames Valley Police stressed in a statement that the decision to lift the orders relates only to their legal basis and not to the merits of the ongoing investigation.

Officers said they were continuing to investigate all reasonable leads to "effectively and fairly" investigate a man in his 60s from Norfolk.