“I think it’s a shame. I think it’s very sad. I think it’s very bad for the royal family. It’s very, very sad,” Trump told reporters aboard the presidential plane Air Force One, which mentioned that Charles III will soon visit the US. “The king is a fantastic man,” he added.
Trump spoke to the press upon his arrival in the state of Georgia about the arrest of the former prince and former Duke of York, who turns 66 today.
“I think it’s a shame. It’s very sad,” the US president told reporters aboard Air Force One when asked about the arrest.
The king’s brother was detained while police investigated a claim that Andrew gave Epstein sensitive British government documents when he was special representative for international trade between 2001 and 2011.
Former prince leaves the police station
Andrés left the police station after his arrest this Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office due to his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
When President Trump was questioned about the Epstein case, the president considered it “really interesting,” because no one used to talk about Epstein when he was alive, and now they do.
“I am the one who can talk about it because I have been totally exonerated. I did nothing, in fact, quite the opposite. He was against me. He fought me in the elections, something I have just discovered through the last three million pages of documents,” the president explained.
The Trump Government has been pressured to reveal documents related to the investigation of the Epstein case, the billionaire who died in August 2019 in a New York jail, while awaiting trial for trafficking in underage girls for sexual exploitation.
“Justice must take its course”
This arrest, unprecedented in the history of the royal family, coincided with Andrew’s 66th birthday and King Charles III expressed that “justice must take its course.”
The local Thames Valley police reported in a statement that “the arrested man was released under investigation”, without naming the suspect, as is customary in the country. Earlier this authority reported the arrest of “a man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in the exercise of public office.”
The British network broadcast an image of the former prince leaving a police station in Norfolk County in the back seat of a car, shocked and staring into space.
Under UK law, Andrés could be detained for 24 hours without charge, after which the police had to ask the courts for an extension.
Charles III declared in a statement that a “complete, fair and adequate process” will be followed in his brother’s case and, as planned, he attended the opening of Fashion Week in the British capital in central London, without giving any further statements.
The police statement said searches were carried out at two addresses in England in connection with the arrest.
The BBC noted that one was at Andrew’s former home, Royal Lodge, in Windsor, west of London.
The other address was his residence since this month at the private estate of Sandringham, property of the king, in Norfolk, eastern England, where his arrest took place, according to British media.
“We can confirm that our searches in Norfolk have ended,” local police said late Thursday.
Misconduct in public office carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, according to the Crown Prosecution Service.
“I thought they were untouchable”
These documents are added to the accusations of sexual assault made against the former prince by Virginia Giuffre, who committed suicide in 2025.
The Giuffre family welcomed Andrés’ arrest. “Our broken hearts have been lifted by the news. He was never a prince,” his brothers said in a statement.
A second woman claimed a few weeks ago, through her lawyer, that Epstein sent her to England in 2010 to have sexual relations with the son of Queen Elizabeth II.
Another American lawyer maintained that one of his clients said that Epstein and the former prince forced her to have sexual relations during a party in Florida in 2006.
The news was received with joy by many British citizens.
“I’m delighted, it’s a strong message,” said Emma Carter, a 55-year-old lawyer. “He deserves it. He has hidden behind his privileges and the Queen’s popularity for too long,” he added.
“I thought they were untouchable, it’s good to know that they are not above the law, that shows that justice works,” said Maggie Yeo, a 59-year-old retiree.
The prosecution is also in contact with the London police in the open investigation into Peter Mandelson, the former British ambassador in Washington, suspected of having transmitted confidential documents to Epstein.
