Police release former Prince Andrew after 12 hours

King Charles' younger brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was released from police custody on Thursday evening after 12 hours in custody following his arrest on suspicion of abuse of office in connection with his ties to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The allegations relate to his provision of confidential government documents.

Mountbatten-Windsor, who turned 66 on Thursday, was questioned by detectives at a police station throughout the day. Earlier this month, police said they were investigating allegations that he had passed documents to the late convicted sex offender while working as a commercial envoy.

The arrest of a senior member of the royal family is unprecedented in modern times.

A witness saw Prince Andrew leaving the police station in Aylsham, eastern England, where he was greeted by a small group of photographers and television crews shortly after 7 p.m. CET. A Reuters photo shows him sitting in a car, visibly shaken.

(reuters, im)