Court quashes unlawful warrants in Mountbatten-Windsor case

Thames Valley Police has accepted that search warrants used at two properties linked to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor were unlawful, and the High Court has quashed them. The force says its investigation into alleged misconduct in public office remains ongoing, while a separate legal proceeding is expected to decide in 2027 whether police can retain material seized in the searches. At a hearing in London on October 8, Justice Nicholas Hilliard said a significant error in the application and grant of the warrants made the warrants, searches and seized material unlawful. The force accepted that the court had used the wrong legal basis when issuing them. The agreement to quash the warrants had been formalised on July 22, according to the court account. The warrants were used in February to search Mountbatten-Windsor’s residence on the Sandringham Estate and his former home, Royal Lodge in Windsor. Police had sought the warrants as part of an investigation into allegations that he shared sensitive information with Jeffrey Epstein while serving as a UK trade envoy.