For Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the question of who pays for his fight with the police has become as pressing as the fight itself. The former Duke of York has been warned that he cannot use the king’s private money to fund his legal action against Thames Valley police, even as he prepares to challenge the warrants that led to his arrest earlier this year.
Mountbatten-Windsor receives an annual stipend from King Charles, drawn from the king’s private funds, though the amount has never been disclosed. A palace source told reporters it had been made clear that this money should not be used to pay for the judicial review he is now pursuing. According to that source, the legal defence is a matter for him and his lawyers, and Buckingham Palace has no role in determining its strategy or actions.
The stakes are considerable. He was arrested on his 66th birthday, 19 February, on suspicion of misconduct in public office, after allegations that he shared sensitive information with Jeffrey Epstein during his time as the UK’s trade envoy. He was interviewed under caution and then released under investigation. On the same day, police began searching his properties, and the force confirmed on 24 February that those searches had ended.
The legal challenge now heading to court centres on those searches. The Telegraph previously reported that Mountbatten-Windsor had been granted permission to challenge whether Thames Valley police acted lawfully over the warrants. A judge at the Old Bailey had issued warrants allowing officers to raid his residence on the Sandringham estate and his former Windsor home, Royal Lodge. He now lives on the king’s private Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
Meanwhile, the timetable is set. On Monday, a judicial spokesperson confirmed that a hearing in the legal claim is due to take place at 2pm on Thursday at the high court, before Mr Justice Hilliard. The hearing concerns an attempt by Thames Valley police to restrict access to court documents, and it will begin in private. Whether Mountbatten-Windsor attends is not known.
The king’s own position was made plain at the time of the arrest. When Andrew was detained in February, Charles issued a written statement saying “the law must take its course”.
For its part, Thames Valley police has kept its public comment limited. A spokesperson for the force said: “Whilst our investigation into misconduct in public office continues, we are engaged in legal proceedings in relation to warrants previously obtained from the central criminal court. As these legal proceedings are currently ongoing, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further.”
What happens on Thursday will shape the next stage of a case that has already touched the former duke’s homes, his freedom and his standing within the royal family, and that now proceeds without the king’s money behind it.