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Andrew Windsor-Mountbatten Arrested amid Epstein Files Revelations; Trump Speaks at First Board of Peace Meeting. Aired 10:15-11a ET

Aired February 19, 2026 - 10:15   ET

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

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.

ANDERSON: Well, welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson for you.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested today in an extraordinary development in the ongoing saga and scandal around his connection to the

convicted sex offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The former prince Andrew was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He served as the U.K. trade envoy for a decade until 2011.

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And during that time, he allegedly passed confidential information to Epstein, according to documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Now we want to stress the arrest does not relate to any sexual offenses.

Dal Babu is the former chief superintendent for the Metropolitan Police and a prominent figure in the policing community. I spoke with him a short time

ago about Andrew's arrest and the wider significance of this case.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAL BABU, FORMER CHIEF SUPERINTENDENT, METROPOLITAN POLICE: The decision to make an arrest is very significant. They can hold somebody for 24 hours

and then up to 96 hours with authorities from senior officers and the court system.

That's highly unlikely at this stage but I -- they would have had the opportunity now to search multiple properties now. Not only when you arrest

somebody, you are allowed to search properties that they have control of and properties that they own.

So there are other properties that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has control of. I -- all those properties are now simultaneously being searched. They'd

be looking for electronic devices, any information that's held on those.

There may well be some items that they're aware of, that he may have come into possession with. You know, whether it's through his role as a trade

envoy or whether he connected to Epstein, I think this -- so it's a massive, massive moment.

I think from here, I should imagine the advice (INAUDIBLE). You know, it's a spectacular fall from grace. This is the queen's favorite son, Queen

Elizabeth II's favorite son. He was a man who was -- I had the -- I met him. He's a very arrogant individual.

And he would have -- he loved all the attention and status he has. To go from that, being stripped of all his titles and now to be sitting in a cell

in a police station is quite a spectacular fall from grace.

ANDERSON: And I want to lean into your experience on exactly that.

I mean, how would this arrest at Sandringham, do you believe, have unfolded?

And what will be the conditions that he's held in?

We don't know where he is being held. We know that this was an arrest by the Thames Valley Police, which is the force that runs the London area in

conjunction with the Norfolk police force, which is, of course, where Sandringham is based or located.

BABU: Yes. So Thames Valley have responsibility for Windsor Castle. The Metropolitan Police have the responsibility for London. But there are

forces with forces (ph), as you'll probably be aware, in England and Wales.

We know nine of them are carrying out inquiries in relation to Epstein. And Andrew will have been featured in some of those investigations. We know

what was known as the Lolita express, the plane that was carrying vulnerable women had landed in Britain on numerous occasions.

We know that Epstein facilitated women for rich and powerful men and Virginia Giuffre had made allegations against Andrew. Andrew always claimed

that he was in a pizza restaurant and wasn't there.

I think there'll be pressure on the police to ensure that all the logs and data of their protection officers are released to the investigation so they

can establish exactly where he was. But at this stage, I think it is that element where the police will ask questions and try and gather as much

information as they can from those addresses.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, the former prince was celebrating his 66th birthday when he was taken away. I've been speaking to Bidisha Mamata, who's a

broadcaster and royal watcher, who remarked on the magnitude of this development for the U.K. royal family.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDISHA MAMATA, BROADCASTER AND ROYAL WATCHER: It's completely and utterly, totally staggering. I share everyone else's sense of disbelief and

also horror, disappointment and our dark curiosity about it.

This is not just scandal at the level of petty gossip. This is morally scandalous and also constitutionally scandalous. Everything that we just

heard is absolutely true. This is extremely damaging and it cannot simply be brazened out by ignoring it.

I think that the royal family are now going to completely close ranks and that Andrew is and surely must be an absolute pariah.

By the time that you've lost all your titles, all your honors, all your reputation, by the time your linen has been aired so thoroughly that even

your daily messages to your pals, your cronies, who are themselves utterly and totally, completely dishonored and disgraced, once all that's out in

the public, where is there for you to go?

But to end up chatting to police officers about what exactly went on.

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ANDERSON: I mean, it was breaking news when his brother, the king, stripped him of his titles.

I just wonder, did royal watchers such as yourself think at the time that that would be the extent of the repercussions?

MAMATA: Yes, absolutely. I remember giving interviews and saying, well, look, at the end of the day, everyone protects their own, don't they?

Power and privilege. It's like this. It's been this way since 30,000 years. I was completely wrong in that. And it's really a very strong message that

I believe the royal family are sending out, not to the public so much as to Andrew saying, look, you are now in the hands of not us.

We are not going to protect you. But it is also a message to the public because the public all over the world are so enthralled by this because, of

course, the release of these files implicates so many people.

And it implies that in the world there are certain type of person that you can mistreat and a certain type of person who mistreats others and thinks

they can get away with it because of privilege, money, power, connections. They think they can act with impunity and do whatever they like.

And now we're seeing that even the brother of the king of England can end up being hustled away by plainclothes police officers, who arrive when he's

celebrating his birthday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, let's bring in CNN's Salma Abdelaziz. She is in London.

And Salma, just bring us up to speed, if you will.

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely. So we do understand that about 8 am this morning, unmarked police vehicles arrived

at the Sandringham estate.

Now this is, of course, where Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was staying. He was staying at a property on that estate. Police then took him into custody

on suspicion of misconduct while in public office.

They commenced a search of that property that we believe is still underway and also began a search at a second location, his former home at the Royal

Lodge in Windsor. We have images as well of police just behind the gates at the Royal Lodge.

Now this is where the former prince lived for nearly 20 years until he was kicked out just this month by his brother, King Charles, for his ties to

Jeffrey Epstein.

Where is the former prince right now?

Well, we do, of course, know that he's in police custody but it is unclear if he is at a police station or inside a police cell or potentially being

interviewed by a police officer. We simply don't have those details yet.

It is important to note here, of course, that being arrested does not mean you are guilty. It only means that the police want to ask you questions at

this stage, though he has not been formally charged.

Now why would the police arrest him instead of just asking him to come in for questions?

Well as you can see, the scene's already to be larger, wider than that when you're looking at the property searches of these two locations. And if the

king is trying to separate himself from his brother, well, he was arrested at Sandringham estate, which is a property owned by King Charles.

So, of course, the royal family is absolutely in crisis. They have tried to get ahead of this time and time again. We've seen that statement issued

very quickly, very swiftly after the arrest by King Charles, when he said - - essentially, I'm summarizing here -- but the law will be carried out.

Andrew, my brother, will face the consequences of the law if that is the case, is essentially what the statement said, as he further distanced

himself from his brother.

We also saw the members of the royal family today really try to go out and act as if everything is normal. Everything is as is, as it was. The queen

attended events. Even King Charles himself attended events today.

But you can imagine that there was not a single royal member that stepped out without seeing, hearing, being asked a question about former prince

Andrew. Now again he has not been formally charged. So that is the next update we're waiting from police when do they interview him.

Once he's interviewed, will he be released?

Will he be let go?

Will he be formally charged?

Will he be held longer?

All of that should sort out really in the next 24 to 48 hours. We should get a clearer picture of that.

But this is only chapter one of this crisis, Becky. All of this centers, this investigation centers not around the sexual misconduct allegations

that we've, of course, seen splattered all over the headlines for months but around Mr. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's time as a trade envoy for this

country between 2001 and 2011.

The allegation is that he passed on confidential government information, while he was trade secretary, to Jeffrey Epstein that may have included

investment opportunities. So again.

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As trade secretary, he would have been bound by government confidentiality. The allegation that he passed on government secrets while in that role,

representing the country, are absolutely huge. They cannot be understated.

Now for his part, the former prince has, of course, not commented since his arrest. We have no statement from him. And he has continuously denied any

wrongdoing and strenuously defended his innocence.

We've also seen a statement, though, despite the fact that this is, of course, about his time as trade secretary.

We've also seen a statement from the family of Virginia Giuffre, a woman who alleged time and time again -- she had alleged before her suicide that

she was trafficked to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor when he was prince while she was underage.

In the family statement, they essentially thank the police. So you begin to understand the scope and scale of this is much greater, much larger than

the U.K. This is entirely unprecedented.

We have never seen a royal of this status arrested in this way in modern times. So you are looking at just the beginnings here of a ripple effect

with so much more to come.

ANDERSON: Good to have you, Salma. Thank you.

And still more of our breaking news coverage of the former prince Andrew's arrest, here on CNN. Stay with us.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.

ANDERSON (voice-over): All right. Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. Here are your headlines this hour.

And Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly prince Andrew of the U.K., has been arrested and taken into custody. He spent a decade as U.K. trade

envoy. During that time, he allegedly passed confidential information to Jeffrey Epstein, according to documents released by the U.S. Department of

Justice.

Mountbatten-Windsor has previously denied any wrongdoing over his ties to the disgraced financier.

Well, Donald Trump is currently convening the first meeting of his board of peace. Representatives from dozens of nations, nearly 30 official members

and around 20 observers, are gathered in Washington to discuss Gaza's reconstruction, humanitarian aid and the deployment of a stabilization

force.

Well, sources tell CNN, in the U.S., military -- sorry.

Sources tell CNN the U.S. military is prepared to carry out a strike on Iran as soon as this weekend. However, president Trump has yet to make a

final decision on whether he will authorize an attack.

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One source says the president has privately argued for and against action and has polled advisers on what to do.

ANDERSON: Well, as I just mentioned, U.S. president Donald Trump is hosting the first meeting of his board of peace in Washington. A short time

ago as he opened the meeting, he had this warning for Iran.

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ANDERSON: All right. Having a little technical issue with that.

I want to bring in Paula Hancocks to unpack what we have learned so far.

I mean, it is the juxtaposition of this board of peace, the inaugural board of peace meeting, which Donald Trump has described as likely going to be

one of his most consequential issues of his presidency, happening against this growing concern about a U.S. -- an imminent U.S. attack on Iran.

HANCOCKS: The backdrop of these talks is significant and the fact that you have so many players in this region in that room, inevitably there will be

discussions about Iran. There are many representing those in the Middle East.

There are many who are concerned about what is happening at the moment, what potentially could be happening now. The U.S. president has mentioned

Iran in those opening remarks. I think we've fixed the technical issues. We have that now. So let's listen to him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: And now is the time for Iran to join us on a path that will complete what we're doing. And if they join us, that will be great. If they

don't join us, that will be great, too. But it will be a very different path.

They cannot continue to threaten the stability of the entire region and they must make a deal. Or if that doesn't happen, I maybe can understand.

If it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. But bad things will happen if it doesn't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: It's very difficult to get into his head, obviously. And there's a very few people around him who've got any idea about whether or not he

has decided. He's weighed the options on Iran and whether he's decided that he will indeed launch an attack.

But at this point, there is an enormous armada off the region, off the coast of the region where we are at this point. And also the Iranians

themselves are clearly hunkering down and getting into a state of preparedness.

HANCOCKS: Absolutely. Now we understand from sources familiar with exactly what is happening within this planning that, by this weekend, the U.S. will

be ready to strike inside Iran. They already have one aircraft carrier in the region, that the second one is on its way.

And what we're hearing from these sources is that, by this weekend, they'll be logistically ready. It doesn't mean they're politically ready. We're

hearing from the same sources that president Trump hasn't made up his mind yet, that he is still talking to advisers, to allies.

He is still trying to figure out whether this military strike should go ahead. There was a meeting in the Situation Room on Wednesday with the top

security cabinet members to discuss whether this should happen.

And we've heard very openly from members of his administration, including the secretary of state, that one of the problem is -- problems is they

don't know what could happen in retaliation if Iran -- and Iran has said they will retaliate.

If they were to decide to try regime change, which president Trump has said that he favors, no one knows what would happen.

ANDERSON: Some real concern around this region, about an escalation, of course, at this point. But you rightly point out, so many of those in the

room for the board of peace inaugural meeting are those who will be, you know, keenly seeking some indication from the U.S. president as to what his

decision is.

There are a number of people from the Gulf region and from the wider Middle East.

Good to have you. Thank you.

We are back after this short break. Stay with us.

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ANDERSON: More now on the extraordinary breaking news out of the United Kingdom. There is no indication that today's arrest of the former prince

Andrew is related to sexual misconduct allegations related to Epstein.

But the family of Epstein victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre is still weighing in on all the new developments.

In a statement, they said, and I quote, "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, we extend our gratitude to the U.K.'s Thames Valley Police for their investigation and arrest of Andrew

Mountbatten-Windsor."

Excuse me.

I'm joined by historian Ed Owens.

Ed, Andrew's the first senior British royal to be arrested since Charles I almost 400 years ago.

What do you make of this arrest?

ED OWENS, ROYAL HISTORIAN: Well, it is unprecedented in the modern era. Certainly there was no police force in place when Charles I was put under

lock and chain more than 400 years ago.

So now things are things are very different in the context of 2026. But this is a genuinely remarkable episode.

I think if we look back over the last 100 years in terms of moments of royal crises, thinking back to 1936, the abdication crisis, and then 1997,

the death of Diana and how the monarchy sought to restabilize its relationship with the -- with the public after that event, this ranks up

with those moments of difficulty for sure.

ANDERSON: You've extensively covered the royal family for years. I wonder what you think we can expect from them in response to this arrest. We've

heard from King Charles suggesting that nobody is above the law and they will cooperate.

And they see that -- see fit that the authorities will deal with this. And they have carried out their scheduled duties this morning. But behind the

scenes --

OWENS: Indeed.

ANDERSON: -- what do you assess to be their response and strategy?

OWENS: Well, clearly, I think there will be a business-as-usual approach in terms of day-to-day work and the day-to-day operations of the monarchy.

We have to keep in mind that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is no longer of the working royal family.

And they have done much to distance themselves from him since last October. Nevertheless, we mustn't forget the royals have been fighting a rearguard

action on this.

The firm action that King Charles III took in October last year, when he defenestrated his brother, "deprinced" him if you like, that came after six

years of discussion of the relationship between Epstein and Andrew.

And, you know, it was a belated -- a belated response and arguably too late, because the monarchy has suffered such reputational damage in the

meantime.

ANDERSON: And, of course, the problem is that Andrew was very much a senior working member of the royal family in the Noughties between 2000 and

2001 and 2011, when he was the U.K. trade envoy and had a real responsibility for representation of the U.K. internationally.

[10:40:07]

And this is an arrest around suspicion of his activities during that time, of course.

OWENS: Yes, it is. It's about honesty and integrity in his role as a trade envoy.

Did he or did he not pass on confidential information that he gathered as a trade envoy during his trade missions on behalf of the United Kingdom to

Jeffrey Epstein or, indeed, anybody else?

So there is a fundamental question here about the virtues of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and the wider virtues of the monarchy. This is an

institution that has, over the last 150 years, built its reputation around moral probity, promotion of family values, the ideas of duty and service

and integrity and honesty in public life.

And that is where Andrew may have fallen short; hence the police investigation.

ANDERSON: Ed Owens, good to have you. Thank you, sir.

More insight now on this. My next guest is Simarjot Singh Judge, a founding partner at Judge Law. He joins us live from Windsor.

So Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

Can you just explain how serious a common law offense that is?

SIMARJOT SINGH JUDGE, FOUNDING PARTNER, JUDGE LAW: Well, firstly, thank you very much for having me.

It is extremely serious and it carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

It doesn't get much more serious than that does it?

ANDERSON: It certainly wouldn't.

Can you just be a bit more explicit?

I mean, you know, what sort of case is the -- what sort of case do you believe the Thames Valley Police are building here?

JUDGE: Sorry, you're breaking up a little bit so I'll respond to what I can.

I mean, what they're doing at the moment is obviously questioning him. They can keep him for up to 24 hours. But they'll also be trying to amass

evidence and see just how deep these allegations go.

The reality of the situation is that he was a working royal between 2010 and 2011. And it's been a manic day but my understanding of it is he

received information and forwarded it to Epstein within five minutes of receiving it. And these were trade briefings on Vietnam, Singapore and

China.

And so, quite clearly, it is a very, very, very serious offense of a working royal but we can't disprove the fact that we -- that this was --

this was coming. He would have had sovereign immunity had he not been removed of his titles in October. And so something has to be said about

that.

ANDERSON: The conduct, yes. And you make a very good point there. The conduct must be, quote, "willful and sufficiently serious," as you've said.

What does it take to prove that?

JUDGE: Well, it's not an accident, you know. This isn't a case of doing something accidentally. He -- there are other allegations of him

financially benefiting from his actions. And so it is something that is serious. And it was willfully done.

He made an intentional act in forwarding those emails, knowing that they were essentially trade secrets, obtained as part of his role in his

position.

ANDERSON: So what will happen next in this investigation, now that he has been arrested?

JUDGE: It's a great question. So I mean, it's very likely that he'll be released and the CPS will spend some time going through the evidence. But

really, these files are -- it's like finding a needle in a haystack.

This isn't going to be a quick (ph) prosecution. The CPS will need sufficient time to go through millions and millions of documents, perhaps,

and then confirm whether there is enough to bring a charge so that he's tried in the criminal justice system. And I reiterate that he faces life in

prison if he is found guilty.

ANDERSON: Simarjot Singh Judge, it's good to have you, sir. Thank you for your insight. It's a pleasure.

Still to come, from politicians to the palace, reaction pouring in following today's arrest of the former prince Andrew. We will have a live

report from London after this.

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ANDERSON: We are continuing with our breaking coverage of the developments out of the United Kingdom today, where, a short while ago, police arrested

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as prince Andrew.

He was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. This allegation means willfully abusing or neglecting the power held by a public

office. A royal source told CNN that Buckingham Palace was not given prior warning of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's Thursday morning arrest.

Earlier, I spoke with Quentin Peel, a former foreign editor at the "Financial Times." We began our conversation with his reaction and indeed

the king's response.

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QUENTIN PEEL, CHATHAM HOUSE: I think it must be the moment that King Charles has dreaded to see his brother arrested. And yet, in a way, I think

that probably it may be a relief to try and bring matters to a head and get on with any investigation that must be happening.

So I think those words in King Charles' statement are very important, as you said, because he's saying the law must take its course and nobody is

above the law. It is a very dangerous moment for the monarchy in Britain and quite extraordinary that this has come at it, really, so suddenly

because it's been building up.

But nonetheless, I don't think anybody expected to see the former prince Andrew arrested, not quite at dawn, but police cars attending the residence

on the royal estate at Sandringham so early. And really quite shocking.

ANDERSON: And the role of the royal family in the U.K. is, of course, primarily constitutional and ceremonial. It also, though, includes

representation. Members of the royal family represent the U.K. on the international stage, undertaking state visits and promoting British

interests abroad.

Let's be very specific about this. He has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Just explain for our viewers the extent of the

former prince Andrew's role as representing the country, which is where very specifically this arrest is focused.

PEEL: Well, for rather more than a decade, I think it's from 2000 to 2011, he was regularly a trade envoy representing the United Kingdom as a whole.

This was a key part, after all, of, if you like, Britain's soft power, to use the royal family, members of the royal family, who had very good access

to high-level contacts in many countries.

So he was representing the U.K. in the Middle East, in China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Afghanistan. All of those places seem to be mentioned in emails

between Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Jeffrey Epstein, where he was actually passing on information at a very early stage about the activities

he was up to.

And although I don't think we should exaggerate possibly the amount of money that Epstein might have been made -- able to make out of the

information, nonetheless, it is profoundly shocking, I think, to the system of trust that the British people essentially have had in their monarchy.

[10:50:00]

The idea that somebody in the monarchy might be trying to make a buck for himself or his friends out of their activities.

ANDERSON: You're a great watcher of British politics, perhaps more so than the royal family. I'm not sure how interested you actually are in the royal

family. But I know that you, professionally, you will be.

But you know, a great watcher of British politics. And you and I have spoken, I think probably, you know, over the past, what, two decades or so

extensively about what is going on in the U.K. with regard to politics.

And the fallout from the Epstein files has shaken the top ranks of U.S., U.K. government. I just wonder how today's development is likely to play

into that, Quentin.

PEEL: Well, clearly at the top end, it plays into worries and doubts about the royal family itself.

But let us not forget the parallel case of Peter Mandelson, the former very senior government minister, absolutely key player in the Labour Party

politics of the last two decades, former European Commissioner who's also proven to be extremely close to Jeffrey Epstein and, indeed, to have

regularly passed on government information.

So he, too, is suspected of so-called misconduct in public office. And that word "misconduct," as we can see straight away, is very broad. I think

primarily it is to do with using information, secret information from the heart of government, to pass on to people outside government.

And I think that, on both levels, therefore, both the royal family but also the British government and, in particular, the British prime minister, Sir

Keir Starmer, they're very damaged by these accusations.

And people in the United Kingdom, I think, are taking them very seriously. It's an extraordinary situation, really, where the first dramatic fallout

that seems to be happening from the publication of these Epstein files, seems to be, more than anything else, in the United Kingdom rather than in

the United States, where the crisis began.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, Quentin makes a very good point there. CNN's royal correspondent Max Foster, back with us live outside Buckingham Palace in

central London.

Of course, King Charles III, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's brother, has released a statement. It was a pretty quick statement after this arrest. He

says he has deep concern about this event. Tell us more about the reaction coming in as the day progresses. Max.

MAX FOSTER, CNN LONDON CORRESPONDENT: Well, I was told by a source that the king wasn't tipped off that this arrest was taking place, which is

interesting. So when you talk about the speed of the statement that came out, it was based on information that we all had.

And it wasn't just from the palace, which would have been a quite easy statement to put together. It was from the king himself.

So this is almost like a foghorn of a message coming from the king, in his words, talking about his deepest concern on hearing this news about Andrew

Mountbatten-Windsor, not calling him his brother.

Very much creating that separation, which is vital in this damage limitation exercise, which is to separate Charles and the monarchy from any

allegations surrounding Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

And also the king offering his full and wholehearted support and cooperation with the police, showing that he's very much on the police's

side in this event, not necessarily his brother.

Of course, no guilt associated with his brother. He hasn't addressed any of these claims in relation to this investigation, only that, on sexual

misconduct, he denies all of that. But in terms of misconduct in public office, he hasn't addressed that at all, Andrew. And he now can't address

it, arguably, because it's under police investigation.

But I think a shock to the system but it's one that's been building for some time and now realization that this, a very complicated historic

investigation, will take time. So this story, this shadow over the British monarchy just isn't going to go away for months, if not years.

ANDERSON: Yes, this is reputationally massively damaging. Some of the royals have been seen in public today. King Charles has been in one event

at Saint James' Palace, just down from where you are. And then actually out, at least in public to the degree that he was -- people were shouting

questions at him about this.

[10:55:00]

And Camilla also out and about today.

What will be happening behind the scenes at the palace?

You've got good sources there.

I mean, what are they telling you?

FOSTER: Well, it's about keeping the monarchy intact. And the monarchy is events. And the best way of, you know, keeping calm and carrying on is to

continue with the engagements you had planned for Windsor Castle.

The queen, as you said, was out. And she did get thrown questions about Andrew. And that's the point here that, you know, any coverage around that

event the queen was involved in will now be dominated by the fact that she was thrown questions about Andrew and didn't respond.

To be fair to her, she can't respond because it is under police investigation and she doesn't want to affect that investigation in any way,

particularly considering that the king is head of judiciary.

You know, any involvement they have in this investigation, if they try to interfere with it in any way, they could end up under the same, you know,

investigation that Andrew's under, you know misusing that public office. So it's incredibly sensitive and it's incredibly difficult for the royal

family to do their job right now

ANDERSON: It's good to have you, sir, doing your job there today outside Buckingham Palace. Always a pleasure, Max. Thank you very much.

Remarkable news, remarkable day on what is Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's 66th birthday. Bet he didn't expect this.

That is it for this hour. Stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD" is up next.

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