Search warrants for Mountbatten-Windsor homes ruled unlawful

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former Duke of York, has won a legal challenge over the search warrants used to raid his homes after his arrest in February.

Mr Justice Hilliard said Mountbatten-Windsor and Thames Valley Police had reached an agreement that the warrants were unlawful. The force accepted that the judge who granted them had used the wrong legislation.

The case, listed as AC-2026-LON-002321 Mountbatten-Windsor v Central Criminal Court and another, was a claim for judicial review, the court process in which a judge checks whether a public decision was made lawfully, according to the court papers (Judiciary).

The warrants were issued by a judge at the Old Bailey, the Central Criminal Court in London, on 18 February. They allowed officers to search his residence on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk and his former home, Royal Lodge in Windsor.

Police arrested Mountbatten-Windsor the next day, 19 February, his 66th birthday. The arrest was on suspicion of misconduct in public office, following allegations that he shared sensitive information with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein while serving as the UK's trade envoy.

He was interviewed under caution and then released under investigation. He denies wrongdoing.

The challenge itself was launched earlier in 2026 but only became public in the week before 9 October 2026 (ABC News). For readers coming to this fresh, that explains why the ruling and the February arrest have surfaced together.

What happens to the seized material is still to be decided. Thames Valley Police have retained material taken from the homes and have applied to keep it (BBC News). Mountbatten-Windsor opposes that application. A private hearing on retention is listed for 2027 (Hello! Magazine).

The criminal investigation continues. The finding on the warrants does not end it.

Mountbatten-Windsor has taken up residence at Marsh Farm on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.