Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Former Prince Andrew Arrested Amid Epstein Files Revelations; King Charles Issues Statement After Former Prince Andrew Arrested; Team USA into Semifinals With 2-1 O.T. Win Over Sweden. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired February 19, 2026 - 07:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[07:00:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: We have major breaking news developing at this moment, the former Prince Andrew, the brother of the king, arrested in connection to the Epstein files. It's hard to think of any precedent for this. We're getting new information just in.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Also breaking overnight, new CNN reporting. The U.S. military is prepared to strike Iran as soon as this weekend with President Trump yet to make the final call,

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: And we are standing by to hear from the president this morning what he will say about his plans in the Middle East.

I'm Sara Sidner with Kate Bolduan and John Berman. This is CNA News Central.

BERMAN: Yes. As we said, there is major breaking news, stunning events in the United Kingdom, where the former Prince Andrew was arrested just a short time ago. At this moment, the brother of the king could very well be in a jail cell. It is hard to think of a modern precedent for this. And equally stunning, this appears to be in connection to the release of the Epstein files here in the United States, which shined a light on the depth of the connections between the former prince and the late convicted sex offender.

Now, there is much we do not know as this develops the specifics of the investigation, the applications of criminal law around a royal or former royal, or whether that distinction even matters here, whether the king had knowledge of the arrest beforehand.

Just last week, King Charles said he was, quote, ready to support police as they assessed the claims against his younger brother. Obviously, this has major implications for the ongoing Epstein fallout in the United States as well. We've got a lot to cover this morning.

So let's get right to CNN's Salma Abdelaziz in London with the very latest, and this has really just all played out over the last 90 minutes or so, Salma. SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is absolutely extraordinary. You cannot imagine how much this has shocked the country to see a senior member of the royal family, the son of the queen, the brother of King Charles, a man that has been in the public eye since birth, arrested by police.

I do understand that we have just received a statement from King Charles himself, and I want to read that to you. I'm sorry, I'm just getting it from our team behind me here. I have learned with the deepest concern -- and this is a statement directly from the king, I'm reading it for the first time for you right here, I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in suspicion of misconduct in public office.

What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities. In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and cooperation. Let me state clearly, the law must take its course. These are the words of King Charles. As this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter. Meanwhile, my family and I will continue in our duty in service to you all.

That is a statement. We just got it right now, as I was going to air with you from King Charles speaking about the arrest of his brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. I do want to break down this statement for you because this is absolutely extraordinary, a series of events we've seen here, a senior royal, nothing that has happened in modern history like this, a senior royal arrested for misconduct in public office.

And that's important here because it is not about the sexual allegations of sexual misconduct that we have seen splattered all over the headlines. This is an investigation into his time as a trade envoy for this country between 2001 and 2011 when it appears, based on the latest trove of Epstein files that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, at the time Prince Andrew, forwarded confidential government information, private investment opportunities to Jeffrey Epstein in violation of his role as trade representative. That is the allegation. That is the accusation here.

Now, he has long denied any wrongdoing.

[07:05:01]

He has strenuously defended his innocence, but he is right now at the heart of this investigation.

And going back to that statement again, what follows now is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities. Reading between the lines here, what King Charles is trying to tell this country is no one is above the law, not even my brother. And that is extraordinary for us to see this, this royal family, this monarchy, which represents this country fundamentally, it is a contract of public trust, and now you have his own brother arrested. And the question being on everyone's lips right now, what did King Charles know or not know? What other members of the royal family knew as this investigation plays out?

Now, you see that he ends the statement saying, meanwhile, my family and I will continue your duty and service, but it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter. Now, we saw that as well in the police statement because we are now dealing with an investigation. There is only so much they can say as this unfolds.

BERMAN: The chilly formality with the very first line speaks volumes as well. I learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, not my brother, not my brother, but Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, speaks volumes.

Salma, stick around, we've got a lot more to discuss here.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely. And also joining the conversation now is British attorney and broadcast for Andrew Eborn. Andrew, thank you for coming in.

One question I think on everyone's mind is exactly -- what exactly happens to the former Prince Andrew right now arrested, we know, and now what?

ANDREW EBORN, INTERNATIONAL LAWYER AND BROADCASTER: Well, it is extraordinary, isn't it? And we have to basically be careful because there are risks of contempt of court. Whenever anybody is arrested, it means that certain restrictions do apply. And anything that could prejudice a fair trial, we have to be extremely cautious of.

But it is extraordinary. And the king was quite right. He identified his brother, he mentioned his name. He also pointed out that nobody is above the law. And I always say that trust comes in on foot and leaves on horseback and trust in the media, trust in the police, trust in the royal institution that we have over here is potentially at an all-time low.

So what happens now? He's been arrested. The police statement made it clear that as part of the investigation, it's important to read it, we have today arrested a man in his 60s, but it's Prince Andrew, the former Prince Andrew's 66th birthday today, not a good birthday present, from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office and are carrying out searches that addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk.

The man remains in police custody at this time. We will not be naming him, although the king's named him, the arrested man, as per national guidance. Please also remember this case is now active, so care should be taken with any publication to avoid being in contempt of court.

What happens when he's arrested? Searches are going to continue at the property in Berkshire and Norfolk. What happened? The core complaint is about confidential official material, as you mentioned in your report, whilst he was a special representative for international trade and investment. And these are treated as potentially serious abuse of public office. He's always denied any wrongdoing. But I said it's extremely serious. It's a common law offense, and it requires a really high level of proof because the potential penalty, the total potential penalty, the maximum penalty is life imprisonment.

SIDNER: How unprecedented is this? Because obviously, I guess because he does no longer have a title, he's treated an average citizen, correct?

EBORN: Oh, no, absolutely. And that's the important thing and well done to his majesty the king for calling that out, nobody's above the law, that the law needs to take its precedence.

There's a couple of things. In 2002 princess and his sister, she became the first senior royal in over 350 years to be convicted of a criminal offense, and she pled guilty under the Dangerous Dogs Act, after one of her bull terriers bit two children wins the Great Park. She was fined 500 pounds, plus compensation and cost, but she was not arrested. Going back, further back, the last senior royal arrested British history was King Charles I in 1647 during the English Civil War, and he was later executed. These are unprecedented times and time will tell.

But what happens when somebody's arrested effectively, they authorize the detention record details. So, there'll be fingerprints and possibly other DNA. The rights are explained to the person who's been arrested. And there's a risk assessment as to how risky it will be, but the time is ticking. So, there's a detention clock, if you like. There's 24 hours initially and the superintendent could extend that to 36 hours. And then if necessary, the maximum amount, the magistrates could include that -- increase that to 96 hours total before a charge or release.

[07:10:05]

But regular reviews are required.

And when he is in the cell, it's obviously not going to be like the palace and the luxuries he's used to. It'll be basically basic. There'll be a bed, toilet, food and medical care. That's what's happened. He'll be given access to legal advice, which I'm sure he'll want to take an interview under caution.

SIDNER: Andrew Eborn, there is so much that we have to -- that we don't know that we want to know about this. But this is, as you put it, unprecedented. Thank you. I know you're going to stick around, as well as Salma Abdelaziz, to go through this with the major breaking news that we now know that former Prince Andrew has been arrested. We'll have much more of this breaking news after the quick break.

BERMAN: We also have other news we're following overnight breaking. The United States military is prepared to launch strikes on Iran as soon as this weekend. That is a major developing story. What we have learned just over the last few hours on this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [07:15:00]

BOLDUAN: All right. The breaking news that we are following and continues to unfold, as we speak, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the man who was, until last year, Prince Andrew, the brother of King Charles, he is now in police custody on suspicion of misconduct in public office. That's according to police.

And moments ago, the British monarch himself issued a statement. As John Berman put it so well, with chilling formality, the king that he learned with the deepest concern of the arrest, and also this, let me state clearly, the law must take its course.

Now, this appears to be tied to revelations coming out from the Epstein files and could be connected to the former Prince Andrew's time as British trade envoy.

We're waiting and learning much more by the minute.

Let us bring back in CNN's Salma Abdelziz as well as British Attorney Broadcast Andrew Eborn to continue this discussion.

Salma, you've also got a new statement in.

ABDELAZIZ: Yes, I do. And this is one is, of course, from the most well known accuser of Jeffrey Epstein, the late Virginia Giuffre, who published a book just six months after she died suicide. Her book rather was published. And in it, she described her interaction to the former Prince Andrew.

Now, her family has issued a statement following the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor this morning, and I want to read that statement to you again from Virginia Giuffre's family. At last, today, our broken hearts have been lifted at the news that no one is above the law, not even royalty. On behalf of our sister, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, we extend our gratitude to the U.K.'s Thames Valley Police for their investigation and arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

Now, again, I do want to emphasize that this arrest is around his time as trade envoy, not around the allegations of sexual misconduct, but he did settle a civil case with Ms. Giuffre reportedly for millions of dollars several years ago. So, those allegations have absolutely swirled around Mr. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor for many, many years.

And so you're going to hear in the voices of victims, like Virginia Giuffre's family, a sense that there is a stark here of justice, even if this arrest is not necessarily about the sexual misconduct allegations.

BERMAN: Salma, stick around.

Andrew Eborn back with us again. And as Salma said, to our knowledge, this does not involve any of the allegations the sexual misconduct around Jeffrey Epstein or Prince Andrew, the former Prince Andrew's connection to that. It has to do with his time as a trade envoy. Kate was asking you before what the legal steps will be and also just the unusual nature of this, because all of this happened years ago. Whatever happened happened years ago, but more came to light over the last month because the U.S. Congress forced the release of the so- called Epstein files. Were British officials not involved in any of these investigations? Were there investigations before? Is this all brand new information that they're going over as of, you know, two weeks ago?

EBORN: Well, the reality is this. There were millions of new documents released, as we know, in the Epstein files, some of the evidence which will come up maybe in this case. But I go back to the general sort of warning, if you like, about avoiding the substantial risk of prejudice now that it is an active case. Everybody's entitled to be assumed innocent until proven guilty. But the evidence will be gone through and people will look at that sort of side because it is an extremely serious offense if found guilty. As I mentioned beforehand, the maximum penalty is life in imprisonment.

BERMAN: And this is public misconduct. And I am sensitive to the British law here, it makes it difficult to discuss almost anything but what was his role as a trade envoy insofar as we know, Andrew?

EBORN: Well, effectively, he was there on behalf the country, making sure that we had appropriate dealings internationally. He was the public face of trade and business and lots of photographs and meetings and so on and so forth would have taken place. He would have had access to a lot of information. And that's going to be the question in this, is to what extent, if any, did he release or share that information with other people, and in what circumstances, because there are certain defenses.

And, again, we don't want to prejudice any defense, which is why we have to sort of dance around, if you like, any suggestion of the strength of any evidence or otherwise. But that needs to be looked at. What evidence was it? If it was disclosed, in what circumstances?

BERMAN: Andrew Eborn, Salma Abdelaziz, obviously, don't go far, so much more to discuss here, as we get new information coming into us by the minute, and these new statements which seem to be pouring in by the minute.

[07:20:05]

Other news this morning, a fire nearly twice the size of Chicago scorching two states, at one point burning the equivalent of three to four football fields every second.

And the rivalry between the women's U.S. and Canada teams on full display today. They face off for Olympic gold.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: A big day for Team USA at the Olympics. Gold medals up for grab and figure skating, speed skating, hockey, a lot of different kinds of skating. Let's get right to Coy Wire in the snow whiteout conditions in Italy. Hey, Coy.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: It's show time, or shall we say snow time. Welcome to Cortina, John.

Team USA and Sweden in an epic quarterfinal down to the wire. It was Sweden's Mika Zibanejad of the New York Ranger scoring with 1:30 to go, John, to tie it. Team USA's coach is the Ranger's head coach, John. Both teams have a whopping 25 NHL players rostered back in the Olympics for the first time in 12 years. In overtime, three on three, Quinn Hughes of the Minnesota Wild hammering home the winning goal.

[07:25:03]

Team USA headed to the semi-finals to face Slovakia.

Later today in women's hockey, Team USA versus Team Canada, Americans set the Olympics record for longest shutout streak five straight games, John, outscoring opponents 31-1. Canadians have Marie-Philip Poulin, who set the Olympics career goals record of 20. These two teams have combined to win every Olympic goal dating back to '98, one of the greatest rivalries on the planet coming up. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILARY KNIGHT, FOUR-TIME MEDALIST: It's the most beautiful rivalry in sport.

CAROLINE HARVEY, WON SILVER AT BEIJING 2022 GAMES: It's the most competitive game I think I've ever been in. It's just from the whole 60 minutes back and forth, there's no let up.

KNIGHT: It is so spicy out there.

LAILA EDWARDS, FIRST-TIME OLYMPIAN: It's just something about it, the intensity level goes up, you know, the want, the hunger, it just spikes.

KENDALL COYNE SCHOFIELD, THREE-TIME OLYMPIC MEDALLIST: We bring out the best in each other, and that's why the'yre the greatest hockey games to watch.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: The winningest alpine skier of all time, Team USA's Mikaela Shiffrin is back, winning Olympic gold in slalom. She'd failed to get any Olympic medal, John, the last eight years. You could hear a pin drop ahead of her final run somewhere up there behind all this snow.

But at 30 years old, Mikaela put on a master class, winning by one and a half seconds, overcoming injuries and mental blocks. Mikaela Shiffrin is an Olympic champ once again.

Now, I caught up with Ilia Malinin, Team USA's figure skating Quad God, who hadn't lost a competition in two years, but failed to medal in the men's program at these games. I asked him about his post on social, John, saying, those who appear the strongest may still be fighting in invisible battles on the inside. Here's what Ilia had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ILIA MALININ, TWO-TIME WORLD FIGURE SKATING CHAMPION: It might seem like I was doing very well, but, of course, there's a side that not everyone gets to see, and it's really hard to deal with all of that. And, you know, at some point you're going to have to release it because sometimes it's just too much to handle all at once.

I'm definitely looking forward to what's next. I mean, I'm ready to give it my all and I'm ready to just come back better than ever and, you know, see where my career takes me, honestly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Our tough times can make us tougher, right, John? Something tells me the best of the Quad God is yet to come.

Now, you know, I've been learning in the new Italian phrase every day we have that saying, it's raining cats and dogs. They do not say that here in Italy. They say, (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE), it is snowing steak.

John, it's an incredible scene up here, more Olympic action all day long.

BERMAN: All right. Coy Wire, enjoy it. It looks like a blast. Thank you very much. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Back to our major breaking news that we are saying on top of as it continues to unfold. Former Prince Andrew -- the former Prince Andrew arrested just hours ago amid an ongoing probe investigation into his connections to Jeffrey Epstein. The new statement from his brother, the king, that just came out this hour.

And U.S. military is prepared to strike Iran as soon as this weekend. Sources tell CNN this that President Trump though has yet to make a final call. What's at stake? We're going to dig into it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:30:00]