Police feared Prince Andrew could block property searches

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 16 Oct, 01:32 · Archive

Court documents show Thames Valley Police worried Prince Andrew might obstruct searches by claiming the King owned his properties.

Thames Valley Police feared Prince Andrew could block searches at his properties by claiming King Charles owned them, court documents released after Andrew challenged the warrants reveal. Police acknowledged the search warrants used to raid Andrew's residence on the Sandringham Estate and his former Windsor home, Royal Lodge, in February were unlawful.

Detectives were searching for 'paperwork, diaries, business records or other documentary evidence of AMW's time as Special Representative for Trade and Investment'. According to Andrew's lawyers, police told the Old Bailey judge that Andrew or his legal team might claim the property belonged to someone else, requiring separate legal permission. Police said 'obtaining such consent may not be expeditious and seeking to do so in advance may frustrate the nature and purpose of the search'.

Court documents state police considered Andrew a suspect 'in a number of serious offences', including forwarding official reports to US financier Jeffrey Epstein 'within minutes of receiving them'. The reports related to Andrew's official trips as trade envoy to Singapore, Vietnam, China and Hong Kong in October 2010. A detective chief inspector told the judge that failure to secure evidence promptly risked 'loss of evidence and a consequent loss of public trust and confidence in the investigation'.

How it is being reported

• UK police feared Andrew would block searches: courtUK police investigating Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor claim he could have destroyed key evidence if he was warned before raids on his home, documents reveal.Perth Now · 16 Oct, 01:00
• UK police feared Andrew would block searches: courtUK police investigating Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor claim he could have destroyed key evidence if he was warned before raids on his home, documents reveal.The West Australian · 16 Oct, 01:00

In this story: Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor · King Charles · Thames Valley Police · Jeffrey Epstein · Sandringham · Royal Lodge

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