Police feared Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor would use King Charles to block property raids, court documents reveal

Thames Valley Police secretly told an Old Bailey judge they feared Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor would obstruct their search of his Sandringham and Royal Lodge properties by claiming the King's permission was needed first. The force warned that Andrew or his lawyers could argue the properties belonged to the Crown, forcing officers to seek Buckingham Palace's consent and losing vital evidence in the delay. The raids, carried out in February, have since been ruled unlawful by the High Court.

The Detective Chief Inspector in charge of the raids told the judge Andrew was a suspect in 'a number of serious offences', including forwarding official reports to Jeffrey Epstein within minutes of receiving them.

The reports related to Andrew's official trips as trade envoy to Singapore, Vietnam, China and Hong Kong in October 2010 — details that emerged in documents released following the High Court challenge.

Andrew's lawyers rejected the DCI's claim that he had previously refused to engage with investigators, calling it 'materially and factually incorrect'.