The King has said ‘the law must take its course’ after expressing his ‘deepest concern’ over the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

Charles III revealed that the police will have his ‘wholehearted support and co-operation’ after his younger brother was held on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

Calling for a ‘full, fair and proper process’, the King added: ‘My family and I will continue in our duty and service to you all’.

The disgraced former Duke of York was held on his 66th birthday today and is in custody at a secret location after a morning raid on his new Norfolk home was first revealed by the Daily Mail.

He can be held without charge for 24 hours, which begins upon arrival at a police station.

Here are the latest pictures we can show you from Sandringham where Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested this morning.

Officers have remained stationed outside the former Duke of York’s home as searches are carried out in Norfolk and at his former Royal Lodge home in Windsor.

Andrew was taken into custody at an undisclosed location earlier after he was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

David Stern pictured with Sarah Ferguson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor

by Elizabeth Haigh

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor ‘pushed through’ the appointment of Jeffrey Epstein’s fixer to the board of a Windsor Castle trust despite opposition from members, it was claimed today.

The former prince, who turns 66 today, is said to have ‘imposed’ David Stern, a close confidant of the paedophile financier, on board members of the St George’s House Trust in 2016.

German businessman Stern features in at least 7,461 documents in the Epstein files and is seen in a photograph alongside Andrew and ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.

The 48-year-old is understood to have been introduced to the former Duke and Duchess of York in 2009 by Epstein, and went on to become a close friend of the couple.

Documents released in the files appear to show that Stern accompanied Andrew on trips to China and southeast Asia during his time as a trade envoy and served as a director of Andrew’s Pitch@Palace startup from 2017 to 2019.

When Stern, who described Epstein as ‘my boss’, was proposed to the board by Andrew, other members are said to have raised concerns about his background.

This Morning host Alison Hammond has been blasted for making a ‘moronic’ comment about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest live on air.

The ITV star was joined by Dermot O’Leary, Nick Ferrari and Sonia Sodha for the news segment of the breakfast show when talk turned to the arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

Talking about the breaking news story at the start of the show, Alison, 51, was quick to offer up her opinion on Mountbatten-Windsor being arrested on his birthday.

She told her co-stars: ‘They could’ve done it yesterday, the day before his birthday.’

Alison continued: ‘It is developing, we don’t know very much beyond what you’ve just said. All we know is that police can tell you.’

Viewers of the ITV series immediately flooded social media platform X, formerly Twitter, to hit back against Alison’s comment, calling it ‘weird’.

Misconduct in public office is notoriously difficult to define, let alone prove, with only 191 people convicted between 2014 and 2024.

Authorities will have to find clear evidence that Andrew was in a public office role, and that he knowingly abused or exploited his position.

Sean Caulfield, a criminal defence lawyer at Hodge Jones & Allen, said:

Proving misconduct in a public office is an extremely high bar. Firstly, it must be determined if Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was in a role within government that constitutes the title of public officer.

There is no standard definition to clearly draw on, but case law indicates that a public officer is someone who holds an office of trust or performs a public duty.

Thames Valley Police previously said it was reviewing allegations that Andrew shared sensitive information with Jeffrey Epstein while serving as the UK’s trade envoy.

The case will rest on whether sharing confidential government briefing documents constitutes an abuse of the public’s trust, Mr Caulfield added.

The King has carried on with his duties as monarch in the wake of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest.

Charles continued with his planned ambassadorial in-person audiences in the Throne Room at St James’s Palace on Thursday.

He was pictured welcoming the ambassador of El Salvador Francisco Lima Mena as part of a series of audiences at the royal residence.

The monarch earlier vowed he and the royal family would ‘continue in our duty and service to you all’ after issuing a written statement insisting the ‘law must take its course’ and expressing his ‘deep concern’ over allegations against his younger brother of misconduct in public office.

Former BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt has claimed the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has left the Royal Family facing a situation it is ‘ill-equipped to navigate’.

Mr Hunt said senior royals find themselves in ‘uncharted waters’ following the Epstein scandal which has rocked the UK’s political and royal institutions.

He told the Press Association:

The arrest of the eighth in line to the British throne is seismic. Senior royals are now in uncharted waters that they are ill-equipped to navigate.

They will have to answer questions about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and be held accountable, something which, up until now, has been an alien concept for them.

Royal commentator Alastair Bruce has explained why Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest will be ‘ghastly’ for King Charles as he reacted to the bombshell developments today.

Hear his thoughts below:

Police searches of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s former home of Royal Lodge, in Windsor, are ongoing.

Officers can be seen at the gates of the sprawling property, while the press are being kept at an outer entrance.

A police spokesperson at the scene confirmed that the search is ongoing within the property.

Walkers and families are continuing to wander through the surrounding Windsor Great Park.

Former prime minister Gordon Brown has revealed he has sent new information to police in the wake of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest earlier today.

Mr Brown, who led the UK from 2007 to 2010, said:

I have submitted a five-page memorandum to the Metropolitan, Surrey, Sussex, Thames Valley and other relevant UK police constabularies.

This memorandum provides new and additional information to that which I submitted last week to the Met, Essex and Thames Valley police forces where I expressed my concern that we secure justice for trafficked girls and women.

Mr Brown has previously police to interview Andrew as part of a new investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and his ‘Lolita Express’ private jet.

The Prince and Princess of Wales have expressed their support for the King’s statement following the arrest of his brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

Prince William and Princess Catherine approve of King Charles’ words issued this morning, the Press Association understands.

The King has said ‘the law must take its course’ after expressing his ‘deepest concern’ over the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

Charles III revealed that the police would have his ‘wholehearted support and co-operation’ after his younger brother was held on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

The Prince and Princess of Wales also support the King’s unprecedented statement following the arrest of William’s uncle Andrew at Sandringham on Thursday.

Virginia Giuffre pictured arriving at a court in New York in 2019

A lawyer who represented Virginia Giuffre and other victims of Jeffrey Epstein hailed the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as a ‘monumental moment’ for survivors.

Sigrid McCawley, who was assigned to represent Ms Giuffre in 2014, said in a statement:

This is truly a monumental moment in the Epstein survivor’s relentless pursuit of justice.

Virginia Guiffre worked for years to shine a light on the crimes being committed by Epstein and his co-conspirators and to send the message that no one should be above the law and the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor today is a step toward that accountability