Although the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has released thousands of files related to the late billionaire financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, many questions about his interactions with prominent people remain unanswered. And the U.K. was rocked by a major bombshell when, early Thursday morning, February 19, the news broke that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor — the former Prince Andrew — has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct.
The Daily Beast's Leigh Kimmins reports, "Reports from the BBC and The Times of London said a convoy of police cars descended on the royal Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, eastern England, at around 8 a.m. local time (3 a.m. Eastern). Just hours before the operation, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the broadcaster that 'nobody is above the law.' Starmer, who has faced criticism for appointing another Epstein associate, Peter Mandelson, as Britain's ambassador to the U.S., said that the principle 'has to apply in this case in the same way it would in any other case.'"
On MS NOW's "Morning Joe," British reporter Katty Kay (well-known for her work with the BBC in the past) told conservative host Joe Scarborough, "No one in the royal family has ever been in this position…. This is incredibly shocking."
Scarborough told Kay that the arrest "has really shaken the British establishment."
Mountbatten-Windsor's arrest is also drawing a lot of reactions on X, formerly Twitter.
Liberal firebrand and former MSNBC (now MS NOW) host Keith Olbermann tweeted, "BREAKING: the former Prince Andrew arrested in Epstein investigation Here? Nobody."
Conservative Victoria Byrne posted, "If true, this is massive. Accountability doesn't care about titles — Prince Andrew and his ties to Jeffrey Epstein have followed him for years. Let's see what BBC confirms."
MS NOW legal analyst Joyce White Vance, a former federal prosecutor, noted, "Former Prince Andrew arrested over accusations that he shared confidential information with Jeffrey Epstein while serving as a British trade envoy."
ITV News' Chris Ship observed, "Today is (former Prince) Andrew's birthday. He is 66. There are reports emerging that police cars have been seen arriving at his new home, Wood Farm, on the Sandringham Estate."
