British police announced on Thursday that the search warrants obtained to inspect properties linked to Prince Andrew, the younger brother of King Charles III, were improperly issued and must be set aside.
Prince Andrew was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office, and subsequent searches were conducted at his residences in Sandringham, eastern England, and Windsor.
He is suspected of having disclosed confidential government documents to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during his tenure as a British trade envoy from 2001 to 2011.
Police have not filed charges against him; Prince Andrew, the second son of the late Queen Elizabeth II, maintains his innocence regarding Epstein and has expressed regret over their association.
His arrest and the public outcry over his ties to Epstein plunged the British royal family into one of its most severe crises in nearly a century.
Prince Andrew sought to have the warrants overturned, and Thames Valley Police acknowledged that they had been incorrectly issued.
A Thames Valley Police spokesperson stated, “We accept that the original court’s decision to issue the warrants under that particular statute was mistaken, and therefore they must be legally quashed.”
Legal proceedings are underway to determine how the seized material will be handled and whether it can lawfully be retained for the ongoing investigation.
The police added that their criminal investigation, which commenced following the release of millions of documents by the U.S. Department of Justice concerning the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, remains active.
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