Police feared Andrew would invoke King Charles to block raids and destroy evidence, court files reveal

High Court documents show Thames Valley Police secretly applied for warrants without warning Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor because they feared he would claim his Sandringham and Royal Lodge properties belonged to the King, forcing officers to seek Buckingham Palace authorisation before entering. The files reveal detectives considered Andrew a suspect in "a number of serious offences", including passing confidential official reports to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein "within minutes of receiving them". Police reportedly also feared evidence could be destroyed if Andrew received advance warning of the February raids.

Thames Valley Police has since admitted the February warrants were unlawful, and a senior judge quashed them — though the wider investigation continues.

Detectives were hunting "paperwork, diaries, business records or other documentary evidence" of Andrew's time as Special Representative for Trade and Investment, including trips to Singapore, Vietnam, China and Hong Kong in 2010.

Andrew, who was arrested on his 66th birthday in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office, moved out of Royal Lodge earlier this year after paying £1.8m to cover dilapidations.