Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has won his legal challenge against Thames Valley Police after the police accepted the search warrants used were unlawful.
However, the former duke of York remains embroiled in a court battle over whether evidence obtained by officers during the searches can be used in the ongoing criminal investigation into him over alleged misconduct in public office.
Thames Valley Police – which ultimately agreed with the unlawful nature of the raids – has retained the material seized under the warrants.
Four things to do with your money before the Budget
With the Budget just around the corner, here’s what you need to consider about your finances before the Chancellor makes his speech.
What will be in the Budget?
Chancellor John Healey’s first Budget is weeks away, sparking speculation as to what Labour might do in terms of tax rises and spending cuts to balance the books.
But rather than trying to anticipate Healey’s announcements, experts say any financial moves beforehand – from maxing out allowances to investing – should make sense on their own merits.
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Where you could adjust your finances
Tax-free allowances
Allowance shifts are not expected, but make the most of the current £20k tax-free limit on ISAs and £60k for pensions.
A stocks and shares ISA might be worthy of consideration, as a long-term alternative to cash holdings.
Capital gains tax
The CGT exemption – currently up to £3k on asset profits – could be cut or reshaped. Make the most of it.
Review your financial plan
As the Chancellor puts his fiscal house in order, now is always a good time to check that your own finances are where you want them to be. Check whether your money could be moved into a higher-interest savings account or invested in stocks.
Financial advisor David Stirling said: “Ensuring life insurance, critical illness cover and income protection remain fit for purpose can be just as valuable as chasing the latest tax-saving opportunity.”
Spanish pensioner whose eviction sparked protests dies
An 87-year-old woman whose eviction from her Madrid home sparked protests over Spain’s housing crisis has died.
A ‘turning point’ in Spain
Images of Maricarmen Abascal being taken from her home of 70 years on a stretcher on 23 September led to nationwide protests as her case became emblematic of Spain’s lack of affordable housing.
Announcing her death, Madrid Tenants’ Union said Ms Abascal’s situation marked “a turning point in the history of this country”.
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What you need to know
- Ms Abascal was forced to leave her home after the company which owns her flat increased the rent to €2,650 (£2,280) – way above her monthly pension of €1,350.
- After her eviction, she was offered a lower rental rate but by then had been moved to hospital. Her death was announced on Wednesday.
- Protesters in central Madrid greeted news of the death with shock and anger. Banners read: “It’s not a death, it’s a killing.”
Housing crisis sparks election
Ms Abascal’s case has been a lightning rod for wider discontent in Spain at the country’s shortage of affordable housing amid rising eviction rates. Corruption scandals and immigration have also dogged prime minister Pedro Sánchez.
After Sánchez failed to pass emergency legislation aimed at alleviating some of the housing problems, he called an early election on Monday for 29 November. Opinion polls suggest Spanish conservatives will emerge as the largest party in the poll.
Why prostate cancer survival rates are improving
Prostate cancer cases in England have risen by 7 per cent in a year – but survival rates for men diagnosed with the advanced form of the disease have “steadily improved”, according to a study.
Risk from death falls
Researchers found that the risk of death from prostate cancer fell by almost a quarter (24 per cent) in just seven years between 2015 and 2022.
What you need to know
- The new National Prostate Cancer Audit found that 60,827 men were diagnosed with the disease in England in 2025 – up 7 per cent from 57,029 in 2024.
- Cases where the cancer had already spread to other parts of the body also rose from 5,696 in 2024 to 6,312 – an 11 per cent rise.
- But an audit of 45,000 advanced cases found the proportion of men who died within three years of diagnosis fell from 56 per cent in 2015 to 47 per cent in 2022.
Treatments and research improving survival rates
However, experts said further investment is needed. Natalia Norori, head of data at the charity, said: “Right now, far too many men get a diagnosis at a later stage when treatment options are more limited, and the fact that nearly half of men still die within three years remains a tragedy.”
Polls have opened in the race to replace Sir Keir Starmer as MP for Holborn and St Pancras.
What you need to know
- The Holborn and St Pancras seat, a long-standing Labour stronghold, became vacant after Sir Keir Starmer announced he was leaving Parliament to focus on a role in international affairs.
- Some 15 candidates are standing, but the contest is widely seen as a two-horse race between Green Party leader Zack Polanski and his Labour opponent Sagal Abdi-Wali.
- The Green leader does not currently have a seat in the House of Commons and has insisted the by-election is “looking close”.
Who are the candidates?
Polanski has faced scrutiny after his party passed a controversial motion asserting that “Zionism is racism”.
Camden Council leader Sagal Abdi-Wali is standing for the Labour Party.
Galloway is standing for the Workers Party of Britain, and is currently living overseas in what he describes as “self-exile”.
Greens challenge Labour’s seat
Polanski seeks to wrest the seat from Labour’s hands for the first time in 43 years.
The Greens have enjoyed a surge in popularity under Polanski, but Labour candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali is the bookies’ favourite to win.
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Mountbatten-Windsor had launched a legal challenge against the force over the lawfulness of the warrants issued by a judge at the Old Bailey that allowed officers to raid his residence on the Sandringham Estate, and his former Windsor home, Royal Lodge, in February.
At a hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Thursday – which Andrew did not attend – Mr Justice Hilliard said that an “agreement was reached between the claimant and Thames Valley Police that the search warrants were unlawful”.
But the judge also said that “the fact that the search warrants were quashed does not bring an investigation to an end, or mean that the whole of the investigation was unlawful”.
In a statement, a spokesman for Thames Valley Police said the initial court decision to issue warrants under the specific piece of legislation used was “incorrect and therefore these must be legally quashed”.
He added: “Legal proceedings are currently ongoing to decide how material seized during the searches will be managed and whether we can lawfully retain it in support of our ongoing investigation.”
Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office, following allegations he shared sensitive information with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein when the then prince was a UK trade envoy.
He was interviewed under caution before being released under investigation and denies any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.
Why were the searches unlawful?
Mr Justice Hilliard said a “significant error was made in the application for and grant of the search warrants,” and that was “enough to render the warrants, the searches and the material seized unlawful.”
Thames Valley Police is understood to have applied for search warrants under section 8 and section 9 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 at a hearing at the Central Criminal Court in February, but the court determined only Section 8 warrants were needed.
Subsequently it was agreed that the legal basis for the searches should not have been under section 8, but section 9.
Warrants under this section allow for searches of items covered by legal privilege, or “excluded material”, including business records and confidential journalistic material.
Warrants under section 8 do not allow for this.
Mr Justice Hilliard said that after the warrants were granted, police later conceded that the judge “could not properly have been satisfied there were reasonable grounds for believing” that section 9 warrants were not needed.
This was because it was “expressly envisaged” that police would search for material covered by legal privilege and other conditions.
Thames Valley Police said it “ensured the court was presented with all the necessary information and paperwork to inform their decision, following the correct legal processes throughout”.
What does this mean for the criminal investigation?
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. The i Paper understands that the force, which intends to use it as part of their investigation, will keep the material until these proceedings conclude.
Danielle Reece-Greenhalgh, partner at law firm Corker Binning, said: “An unlawful or defective search warrant does not automatically render any seized evidence inadmissible in a subsequent trial. Nor does it preclude the police from examining seized items, such as devices or paperwork, during their investigation.”
The Judiciary did not provide comment.