Return to Transcripts main page

Early Start with Rahel Solomon

Police Arrest Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired February 19, 2026 - 05:30   ET

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

[05:30:00]

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: And just for your understanding watching at home Max is actually driving, so he's on the phone with us. He has just pulled over so he can safely speak with us.

But Max, you have been covering the royals for more than a decade. Your reaction to this news this morning.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT, LONDON (via telephone): Well, it is extraordinary news and it does suggest that the police have had some sort of major development, and what we're talking about here is specifically the inquiry.

There are multiple police inquiries now in the U.K., but this specific Thames Valley Police inquiry is in relation to misconduct in public office, which would refer to his time as trade envoy, which is a position that he held for several years where he would represent the U.K. in traveling to countries and trying to boost trade. And the allegation obviously coming out of the Epstein papers that he shared some of the confidential reports that came out of that with Jeffrey Epstein. So it seems to be in specific regards to that part of the allegations made about -- made against Andrew.

And, of course, as you say, he was a prince at the time. He was a senior working royal representing the monarchy. So this is away from the Andrew that we know now. This is a major allegation against the British monarchy effectively because he was sharing confidential information which he shouldn't have been sharing.

SOLOMON: And Max, would the royal family have gotten a tip -- a courtesy that this would be happening, or do you imagine -- I mean, you understand the innerworkings of the monarchy better than most -- or are they perhaps as surprised as the rest of the world watching this news right now?

FOSTER: Well, we have asked the palace, and we haven't gotten any response. I mean, their normal response with any sort of police inquiry is that it's a police matter. But he was arrested on a private royal property, so on the Sandringham Estate, which is owned by the king. It isn't publicly owned. They would have had the right to just go in there and arrest him. They may well have notified the estate before they went in.

There isn't any formality that expects them to inform the king that they're about to carry out an investigation, particularly if they feel that they wanted to keep it confidential. So they could have literally driven up to the house where Andrew is now staying temporarily on the Sandringham Estate and arrested him without informing the monarchy as it were. But they may have informed staff at this stage just to get access.

SOLOMON: And Max, you're going out a little bit but I'm going to keep talking to you in hopes that perhaps the reception improves.

This is obviously stunning, extraordinary news this morning. Is this also without precedent? I mean, can you think of a time -- and as I said, you've been covering the royal family for at least a decade but obviously you know the history even before your time. Is there a precedent or a comparison that you can compare this to or is this without precedent? Is this historic?

FOSTER: I can't think of a case in modern history where any royal has been arrested and certainly not a senior royal. Of course, with the monarchy you can go back 1,000 years to times when monarchs have been arrested in the past. But I can't think of another example recently.

I mean, for any royal to cross the line of the law is extraordinarily significant when you consider that the monarchy actually represents or is head of the judiciary, head of the government, head of the armed forces. You see the king's name on all the police force emblems. I mean, it's quite an extraordinary situation and it does -- there's no allegations, of course, made against the king and there's been a lot of praise for many Epstein survivors to the way the king has responded to this.

But what we're talking about here is a period in which Andrew was serving the monarchy under Queen Elizabeth. So it actually taints how that monarchy was being operated at the time and raises questions what did they know and when did they know it? If Andrew was sharing confidential documents in his office at Buckingham Palace it doesn't implicate the monarchy, but it does raise questions about what sort of control they had of him.

SOLOMON: Hmm.

And Max, we -- I mean, the ramifications of these Epstein files have perhaps been felt most acutely in the U.K. I mean, you look at the sort of pressure that the U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been under.

Talk to me a little bit about what we've heard from Starmer as it -- as it relates to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. I mean, what's his take been on his alleged involvement with Epstein?

FOSTER: So Keir Starmer, a bit like the king, has been talking about the victims and survivors come first here. The king has already issued a statement through Buckingham Palace saying that they would coordinate the police investigation into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, so they've been very clear about that.

[05:35:05] Keir Starmer's main (INAUDIBLE) was when he hired Peter Mandelson as U.S. ambassador. And Mandelson is also accused of sharing documents with Epstein.

So away from any of the allegations about trafficking or sexual abuse, this is a very separate debate about how senior people in the U.K. abuse their position and share confidential information. Certainly, I think it is quite stark if you look at how quickly the U.K. has responded to this and made people accountable. It's very different from what we're seeing play out in the United States.

There are multiple police investigations now taking place across the U.K. and they're being coordinated nationally as well. So I think they're obviously now working on formal police investigations, which is interesting because what we're going to start seeing now is where those Epstein emails ended up as people want access to computers in the U.K. where you'll see other sides of those conversations. So we'll learn a lot more about the web that surrounded Epstein.

SOLOMON: Yeah. And Max, look, I know that you're -- you stepped aside to call us from the road. We're going to let you go because I know you're going to be working your sources, working the phones, and trying to get as much information as you can. Max Foster reporting there for us in London. Max, thank you.

We're going to take a quick break, but we'll have more on this breaking news story in just a few moments. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:41:00]

SOLOMON: Let's get back now to our breaking news. Britain's former Prince Andrew has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, he was taken into custody in Norfolk just a short while ago. He is accused of allegedly sharing confidential information with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mountbatten-Windsor has previously denied any wrongdoing over his ties to Epstein.

King Charles had stripped his brother of his titles back in October and has since evicted him from Windsor.

Let's get back now to CNN's Salma Abdelaziz who joins us live in London. Salma, what's the latest that you're hearing?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I want to start by asking maybe questions of what we don't know and what we do know so far.

So we do know that he's been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, but there is a lot of details that are still missing here, of course, Rahel. We don't know the specifics of the allegations of this investigation by the police. We are talking about a period of time between 2001 to 2011 when he was representing the U.K. as a trade envoy. But what are the specific allegations, the specific accusations of misconduct, we don't yet know that. What information actually prompted Thames Valley Police to make this arrest? That's the key question here. Because we understand that they have been assessing this claim for some time now. I would say a period of days. That latest trove of emails where we see these allegations come to light has been out for a few weeks now.

So what was the trigger? What was the switch? What was it that the police held onto that said OK, now is the time when we need to take this very extraordinary action, of course, in this country?

We also don't know where Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is currently being held. We don't know where he is being held. We simply know that he's been arrested but we don't know any details beyond that or what the status of that is in terms of his arrest.

And we still don't know he's been interviewed under caution. That's what it's described as in this country. So essentially, has he been asked questions? Has he sat down with a police officer and been asked questions as of yet, and where has he been asked these questions. What location has he been taken to?

What do we actually know right now? Well, what we do know is Mr. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, former Prince Andrew, who only earlier this month was forced out of the royal residence and pushed into his brother's residence -- the Sandringham Estate, which is currently being searched by police -- has now faced a watershed moment really, not just for himself but for the royal family and really for this country at large, being arrested.

Now again, being arrested does not mean being guilty. We do not know the specifics here of why the police have taken this extraordinary action of arrest. That is the detail we need.

But you can imagine that the royal family is reeling. King Charles has been trying to get ahead of this time and time again. Last year he stripped his brother of all his royal titles. As I said, he's pushed him out of the royal residence. He even took this really extraordinary step of preempting the possibility of this happening right now by saying he was willing to support the police in any inquiry that they had.

So there's going to be a sense in this country, first of all, that this has caught up with Prince Andrew. He has been long under question, long under suspicion for his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein -- a relationship that he appears to have lied about in the past, saying that he ended his relationship with Mr. Epstein once he was a convicted sex offender, so around 2008. Now in these latest email troves it does not appear the case -- appear to be the case and it is now clear that he did continue with that relationship after Epstein was convicted.

And it is that information that led King Charles to strip him of his royal titles. To take these extraordinary steps to try to get ahead of what's happening here. But again, it has caught up with him.

There is going to be also a bit of empathy I imagine in this country for his family -- the York family as they are known here. He has two young daughters. They're in their 30s. They have their own families. Their faces have been splashed all over the media for the last few days.

[05:45:05]

So, so many questions here swirling around what is, first of all, a family -- a family that represents this country, the monarchy as an institution, and how Mr. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor represented it as a trade envoy.

And I did write down some details of the emails that could be in question here. Around 2010 he appears to have forwarded government report visits -- details of those visits in Vietnam, Singapore, China. There are emails that indicate that Mountbatten-Windsor forwarded investment opportunities for gold and uranium in Afghanistan.

He had a duty of confidentiality between 2001 and 2011 as trade envoy. Did he abuse the public office? Did he violate government information? Did he violate the pact for confidentiality? That is the question the police are asking right now. The details around that we have yet to know.

SOLOMON: Um-hum.

And Salma, I don't want to wade too much into the legality of this unless, of course, that's an area you feel comfortable covering. But your distinction that these are allegations -- that he has not been convicted -- is an important one, absolutely.

But at the same time you imagine that there had to have been a certain level of evidence -- some of those emails that you just pointed to -- a certain level of probable cause that would have given them the legal authority to actually make this arrest.

ABDELAZIZ: Yes. And this complaint that was made was filed by an anti- monarchy group, Republic. So you can imagine that it was a complaint that I would imagine, again, would have been prepared by a lawyer and would have had the language that the police had to take very seriously in this assessment.

And this has been going on for some time now. I think even when we saw that statement from King Charles that was, I think about a week ago now when he said he's willing to support the police -- and that seemed to preempt any -- the events of today. It gave us an indication of just how serious this investigation is.

It's going to be also extraordinary to people in this country that this investigation is again around the time of his work as a trade envoy. That it's around questions of passing on economic opportunities rather than what we are always seeing, you know, on the headlines and in the press, which is the allegations of sexual misconduct. So you have to again remember that there is a clear separation here when it comes to what the police are looking into.

And again, we don't know where he is. Has he been, you know, sat down and asked the questions he needs to be asked? But this is only the beginning, Rahel. This is -- this is chapter one because you now have a royal family that's going to be embroiled in an investigation.

You have to ask the larger questions here, of course, too. We've heard more and more calls for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to testify in the United States. To testify in Congress. Does that make that more likely?

He has also been stripped of all of his royal titles and essentially pushed out of the monarchy. Who represents him now because in the past he was relying on the lawyers, of course, of the institution -- of the institution of the monarchy. So who represents him now?

There is so much here that can essentially make this situation only greater and bigger and more extraordinary, Rahel, when we are talking about a senior member of the royal family, the brother of King Charles now at the center of an investigation, arrested by the police. Calls for him to even go testify in the U.S. Congress. What happens next can only get bigger.

SOLOMON: Salma, we appreciate you being with us. I want to let you go and continue to work your sources and the phones and get whatever information you may able -- you may be able to share with us. Thank you.

For those who are just joining us you are watching our breaking news coverage of this news within the last hour -- maybe 30 minutes or so -- that police in London -- in the U.K. have arrested the former Prince Andrew on suspicion of misconduct. That is what we are hearing. Suspicion of misconduct in public office. Again, these details just coming in to us as we are here on the air.

We're going to take a quick break and continue to gather information, and we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:53:53]

SOLOMON: All right, I want to get back to our breaking news that we've been covering all morning long -- the last hour or so -- the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known, of course, as Prince Andrew. He's been arrested, according to the Thames Valley Police, on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

I want to get now to our guest who is joining us -- with us this morning. Guys, if we can just pull up our guest here from London, broadcaster and royal watcher Bidisha Mamata. Thank you for being with us.

Mimisha -- Badisha, excuse me, I imagine your TV must be on. I cannot imagine what the coverage is like right now. Just your initial reaction to this news.

BIDISHA MAMATA, BROADCASTER AND ROYAL WATCHER: This is completely and utterly extraordinary, unexpected, and damaging. The conversation here has been that this is scandalous. This has been brewing for a long time, but would they ever arrest a senior member of the royal family? Even if he'd lost all his titles already, even if he was already in disgrace, he is still a privileged member of the royal family.

[05:55:00]

And yet, we've seen images of plainclothes police officers and unmarked police cars going to, as the police say, the house of a gentleman in his sixties -- he's actually celebrating his 66th birthday now -- and being arrested for misconduct in public office. It is really unprecedented and extremely telling.

SOLOMON: And what do you think that the message is that's being sent by this? I mean, as you said, I mean, the allegations are what they are, but as you pointed out this is a member who hails from the royal family and has a certain level of prestige -- privilege, certainly -- and that they would still carry out this arrest. What is the message you think that's trying to be sent here?

MAMATA: It's a warning. And your words, privilege and prestige, are exactly right. It has always traditionally been the case that there are certain people in society who act with impunity and entitlement and think that whatever is done amongst friends, cronies, cohorts is going to be absolutely fine.

What the release of all of these salacious and very damaging and disturbing details has shown is that there is enormous public interest in the issue of justice and an outrage. The idea that there are certain kinds of people who can do whatever they like. This has been extremely damaging.

And for the royal family, too, it has come under so much pressure because the gossip, the interest amongst the public and the press is only getting stronger. And this is a letting out point.

This is a breakage of tension because I think people have been asking OK, we know what these details are. We're all talking about it. But that's at the level of gossip; that's not the level of speculation. These are crimes. These are illegal things. What's going to happen next? When are the police going to be involved? And now they are involved in the most dramatic and shocking way, going right to the very top of the social hierarchy.

SOLOMON: And Badisha, do you think that the king -- this is something that Max Foster, our royal correspondent, and I were just speaking about a moment ago, but do you think that the king or the palace would have been tipped off in a sort of courtesy, or do you think that they were likely just as shocked as the rest of the world about an hour ago when we got this news that police were there to arrest the former Prince Andrew?

MAMATA: I think they were tipped off. At the end of the day we're talking about the king, King Charles. We are talking about people who have extraordinary levels of access not just to the rich and the famous, and infamous and the notorious, but also to security forces, to police, to investigators. A statement released by major royals in the last few days said that if there was an arrest, if there was police involvement, the royal family would, indeed, cooperate. I think this is that.

I'm not even sure that it's a huge surprise to Andrew Mountbatten- Windsor himself. The precise circumstances might be a surprise but the fact that this has been brewing -- that he has received warnings and tipoffs. That he has been told look, what do you think you are doing? Do you think that we're all just going to let this go -- the public, the entire world of people who are watching that there's going to be no comeuppance, no consequences?

No. I think that the royal family knew.

SOLOMON: Hmm.

And then, I mean, it's just been remarkable to watch the fallout of these Epstein files and how far they've reached, and especially in the U.K.

Do you think -- I mean, talk to me about the reaction just from the British public as we have continued to learn of the -- of the different people who have alleged connections to Jeffrey Epstein. What's the reaction been like there?

MAMATA: It's such a great question because this is so disturbing and exactly, as you say, it goes so deep and so wide. There's disgust -- a kind of prurient interest, a salacious and dark interest. There is extraordinary sympathy and empathy for all of the victims, witnesses, and survivors.

There's a sense of outrage and there's also a deep cynicism because, of course, wasn't one's darkest conspiracy about the world that things are secretly run by people of poor morales, poor character, who don't care what the affects of their own actions are.

So it's very distressing and disappointing in a way, and it's not a surprise when you see that this network of cronies extends across political boundaries, cultural boundaries, boundaries of royalty versus media versus culture versus whatever it might. You've got this little cabal of people of really extraordinary arrogance and abusiveness.

It doesn't mean that everyone named in these files is an active perpetrator, but it does mean that there's a tacit acceptance that this kind of culture, this way of looking at other people, that's it's OK. That if you have money and power and connections you can do what you like and no one will mind.

[06:00:00]

SOLOMON: Bidisha Mamata in London. We so appreciate you being with us this morning as we continue follow this extraordinary, remarkable news out of London -- out of the U.K. that police there have arrested the former Prince Andrew on suspicion of wrongdoing in office.

We're going to continue to follow this breaking news right here on CNN. Stick with us.