A timeline of former Prince Andrew's ties to Jeffrey Epstein, from the Virginia Giuffre lawsuit to his arrest in 2026

Prince Andrew in December 2023.

Adrian DENNIS / AFP via Getty Images Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

On Thursday, a judge said that the search warrants used to search his homes were unlawful.

The arrest followed years of public scrutiny over Mountbatten-Windsor's ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

The investigation into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor received a setback.

Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, was arrested by Thames Valley Police , the local force for southeast England, at a royal home on suspicion of misconduct in public office related to his ties to Jeffrey Epstein in February 2026.

On Thursday, a judge said that search warrants issued at the time of his arrest were unlawful.

Still, the Thames Valley Police's investigation into Mountbatten-Windsor's ties to Epstein continues.

Mountbatten-Windsor has repeatedly denied any involvement with Epstein's sex-trafficking crimes.

However, his relationship with Epstein has been under scrutiny for over a decade, as Virginia Giuffre named him in a lawsuit she filed against Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in 2015.

That scrutiny only intensified after the release of documents in the Epstein files in early 2026.

According to emails released, the former prince appeared to forward reports related to his work as UK trade envoy to Epstein in 2010 and 2011.

King Charles said in a statement at the time of the arrest that "the law must take its course" and that the authorities had the royal family's "full and wholehearted support and co-operation." Here's a timeline of Mountbatten-Windsor's connection to Epstein.

1999: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Jeffrey Epstein reportedly met through Ghislaine Maxwell.