Court ruling finds search warrants used in Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor raids were unlawful

The judge’s decision only concerns the search warrants

The former Duke of York had taken Thames Valley Police and the Central Criminal Court to court, challenging the legal basis for the warrants used during the investigation.

At a hearing in London, Mr Justice Hilliard found that the police had relied on the wrong statutory provision when applying for the powers. Thames Valley Police accepted the error, and the warrants have now been quashed.

The decision relates specifically to the warrants and does not invalidate the wider investigation.

Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on 19 February on suspicion of misconduct in public office. 

The arrest came after Recorder of London Mark Lucraft KC granted police permission to carry out searches at the Old Bailey.

Officers searched his property on the Sandringham estate as well as the Royal Lodge in Windsor on the same day.

The judge has stressed the investigation is still ongoing

The investigation centres on information contained in the Jeffrey Epstein files. 

Mountbatten-Windsor is accused of sharing sensitive information with Epstein during his time as the UK's trade envoy. Epstein was a convicted sex offender.

Police are still seeking to hold on to some of the material seized during the searches.

Hilliard said an application to retain the property would be considered next year, with officers arguing that they could have legally taken possession of it under a different statutory power.

The judge made clear that overturning the warrants does not end the case.

“The fact that the search warrants were quashed does not bring the investigation to an end or mean that the whole of the investigation is unlawful,” he said.

The court case comes after Mountbatten-Windsor's relationship with Epstein contributed to a significant loss of his royal status. 

King Charles removed his dukedom and his right to use the title prince last year.