In the court of public opinion, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has a serious case to answer – but there must now be severe doubt about whether the evidence against him will be tested at a trial.
The former Duke of York won his legal challenge against Thames Valley Police this week, after the force accepted search warrants used as part of its investigation into alleged misconduct in public office were unlawful.
A mistake in issuing the warrants under the wrong piece of legislation threatens to undermine any use of the documents seized in the police raids on Mountbatten-Windsor’s homes at Sandringham and his former Royal Lodge mansion in Windsor last February.
Holborn by-election results as Polanski vows to ‘carry on’
Labour has held former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s old seat of Holborn and St Pancras, with Zack Polanski vowing to carry on as Green Party leader despite losing to Sagal Abdi-Wali.
Greens increase vote share but fall short of majority
The Greens increased their vote share by about 23 per cent compared to the 2024 general election result, when Starmer held the seat. However, Polanski ultimately fell short of victory by over 3,000 votes in Thursday’s 15-candidate by-election, which saw a 38.76 per cent voter turnout.
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The results
- Labour’s Abdi-Wali won with 12,292 votes (45.17 per cent).
- Green leader Polanski earned 8,928 votes (32.81 per cent).
- The Tories’ Ewan Cameron was third (1,922 votes, 7.06 per cent).
- Reform UK’s Peter Newman came fourth (1,612 votes, 5.92 per cent).
What next for the Greens?
Polanski vowed to “carry on as leader of the Green Party”, saying “of course I can” when asked about a potential leadership threat following his loss. However, he conceded that it would ultimately be up to members to decide if continues in his role during a scheduled leadership election next year.
The Greens described the result as “incredible” for the party, adding: “We are here to stay and just getting started.”
Watch: Polanski reacts to defeat
Victory a testament to diversity, says Abdi-Wali
“I hope this moment also says something about who gets to belong, for people who look like me…our diversity is a strength”
Labour’s winning candidate and leader of Camden Council spoke about the area’s “cohesion” in her victory speech. Meanwhile, party chair Bridget Philipson said: “Britain is backing Labour’s message of hope.”
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What next for Andrew after police warrant legal claim win
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has won a legal challenge against Thames Valley Police, but the former prince’s court battle is set to continue.
New developments
- At a hearing on Thursday, police accepted the search warrants used to raid the ex-prince’s residences in February were “unlawful”.
- But the force has retained the material seized under the warrants while legal proceedings continue into whether it can be used in ongoing investigations.
- Warrants being quashed “does not bring an investigation to an end, or mean the whole investigation was unlawful,” the judge said.
- The wrong type of warrant was used by police, the judge ruled.
- It did not include the power to seize documents under legal privilege.
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What happens now?
Thames Valley Police still hope to use materials seized from the 66-year-old’s addresses in the ongoing criminal investigation into him over alleged misconduct in public office.
Thames Valley Police made an application in June which would allow them to keep the evidence taken during the searches. Mountbatten-Windsor opposes the force’s bid to retain the evidence, with a hearing in the case set to be held privately next year.
How does Andrew live now?
While isolated publicly from the Royal Family, Mountbatten-Windsor is said to be leading a comfortable lifestyle “of the upper echelons” at Marsh Farm, his new home on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, whilst footing substantial legal bills. How is he staying afloat?
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A much-anticipated Government review, the first of three aimed at cutting the welfare bill, has found the conditions are on the rise as more young people seek support.
Have ADHD and autism been overdiagnosed in recent years?
The Government’s review by Professor Peter Fogey, published today, concluded ADHD and autism are not overdiagnosed “at scale” but a growing number of people are incentivised to seek a diagnosis as the main way to access support. It found diagnosis has “risen dramatically” in recent years and the current system brings a “serious risk of overdiagnosis” in the future.
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What did the review recommend?
Take action now to help those in need of support
Prepare for benefits cuts
A needs-led approach should focus on participation rather than diagnosis.
Fast-track waiting lists
People on lists should be reviewed and support offered to those waiting.
Reduce medication
Deprescribing and regular medication reviews should be widespread practice.
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Streeting wrong about overdiagnosis, says author
“There has been a rise in distress and mental ill health amongst young people which is very, very real…. We need to support young people’s mental health early… Rebuilding this support must be a priority”
Professor Peter fonagy, author of the report which was comissioned by then-health secretary wes streeting
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His legal win was followed by a financial one. He formally surrendered the lease on Royal Lodge on Friday, after leaving it in disgrace due to his ties to the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, receiving a £302,000 pay-off for the early termination of his lease.
Furthermore, his older brother, King Charles, is footing the rest of the £1.5m bill for repairs to the dilapidated 30-bedroom home.
For now, the police investigation into the King’s brother for alleged misconduct in public office continues, and it will be for a judge to decide at a hearing next year whether the evidence they gathered can be used.
But on the face of it, this is an embarrassing blow to the investigation.
It already run into trouble because of an unwillingness by the US Department of Justice to release the full, unredacted emails from the Epstein files, which prompted claims that the former prince had abused his position by sending the financier confidential government information that could be commercially useful. Mountbatten-Windsor has denied any wrongdoing.
Avoiding allegations of a ‘stitch-up’
Mountbatten-Windsor, 66, He has every right to defend himself and use whatever tactics his lawyers deem best. But it is surely in the public interest that the allegations against him surrounding his friendship with Epstein, a convicted paedophile, are tested in open court so that if he is to clear his name justice is seen to be done.
For the moment this looks more cock-up than conspiracy. Some lawyers have described it as a preliminary skirmish in a wider legal battle that will have several more twists and turns.
But the wider concern for the monarchy and for the British Government must surely be that if a case against Andrew collapses, there will be allegations of an establishment stitch-up.
Some palace insiders and royal watchers have long doubted whether it will ever be allowed to get to a full trial. They have cited the previous failure of police investigations into Mountbatten-Windsor, and the decision in 2023 to end inquiries into cash-for-honours allegations at The King’s Foundation, the monarch’s main charitable organisation.
They have noted police requests for Mountbatten-Windsor’s bodyguards to come forward with what they may have witnessed during the years when he was taking advantage of Epstein’s hospitality, enjoying the company of young women introduced to him by the financier and his sidekick, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving 20 years in jail for child sex trafficking.
The police’s efforts to question some of Mountbatten-Windsor’s wealthy friends about what they saw have been frustrated by friends circling the wagons around him, according to some sources. At the same time, some of the women who have stories to tell about him have also proved reluctant to come forward and face the intense scrutiny of a high-profile police investigation.
It may be frustrating for the police. But the problem for the former prince is that, unless he can clear his name in a fully open process, the allegations will never go away. Rightly or wrongly, he will go down in history as someone who was disgraced after becoming embroiled in a corruption and sex scandal.