Former Prince Andrew went from helicopter pilot to trade envoy to royal pariah

London: He was reportedly his mother Queen Elizabeth II's favourite, but the former Prince Andrew has long been a headache for Britain's royal family.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested Thursday, his 66th birthday, on suspicion of misconduct in public office in an inquiry stemming from his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. He is the first senior British royal in modern history to be detained by police.

He was born a prince in 1960, the second child of the queen and her husband Prince Philip. His elder brother Charles was destined for the throne. Andrew took a tried-and-tested route for younger royal sons: military service.


After 22 years in the Royal Navy, including combat operations as a helicopter pilot during the 1982 Falklands War, Andrew was named Britain's special representative for international trade and investment in 2001.

The current police investigation stems from that period. It follows documents in recently released Epstein files that suggest Andrew passed on official government documents to the late financier when he was a trade envoy. The former prince has not been charged with a crime. He has long denied any wrongdoing over his Epstein links.

Mountbatten-Windsor was forced to step down from the trade role in 2011 amid growing concern about his friendship with Epstein, who had been sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2008 after pleading guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution.

Once a subject of media fascination for his love life, the man the tabloids dubbed "Randy Andy" became a regular source of headlines because of his money woes and links to questionable characters, including Epstein, the American financier and convicted sex offender.

After Epstein was arrested again in 2019, Andrew gave a disastrous interview to the BBC's Newsnight program, in which he tried to explain away his contacts with Epstein. It backfired - he was widely criticised for giving unbelievable explanations and for failing to show empathy for Epstein's victims.

Amid the backlash, Andrew announced on Nov. 20, 2019, that he was giving up public duties and charity roles "for the foreseeable future."

In August 2021, one of Epstein's victims, Virginia Giuffre, sued Andrew in a New York court, alleging that the prince had sex with her when she was underage. Andrew denied the allegations, but he was stripped of all military affiliations and royal charity work.

Andrew ultimately settled the case for an undisclosed sum. While he didn't admit wrongdoing, Andrew did acknowledge Giuffre's suffering as a victim of sex trafficking. Giuffre died by suicide in April 2025, aged 41.

That was not the end of the story. After emails emerged last year showing Andrew remained in contact with Epstein longer than he previously claimed, King Charles III stripped his brother of his princely title and other honours and his home at Royal Lodge in Windsor.

Now he is also in police custody.

He remains eighth in line to the British throne.