Gavin Grey: UK Correspondent on the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor

An unprecedented day continues for the UK, with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor released under investigation after his arrest overnight. 

The former Prince has been pictured leaving a Norfolk police station following allegations he shared sensitive information with late sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein.  

Searches have taken place at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk. 

His brother King Charles has stressed the law must take its course. 

UK Correspondent Gavin Grey told Kerre Woodham Mountbatten-Windsor is maintaining his complete innocence, despite this being only one of a number of police investigations around him. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Carry Wooden Morning's podcast from News Talks.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
He'd be as you will have heard in our news.
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor has been arrested on his sixty sixth
birthday on suspicion of misconduct and public office. The arrest
occurred as at his residence wood Farm on the Sandringham
state of Norfolk. The former prince has since been pictured

(00:30):
in a most unflattering shot leaving a police station. Gavin Gray,
our UK correspondent, has been run off his feet talking
to the whole wide world, so we will go to
him right away. A very good evening to you, Gavin.

Speaker 3 (00:44):
Thank you very much carrying A good morning to you.
It's quite the shock, I can assure you.

Speaker 2 (00:48):
Is it a shock?

Speaker 3 (00:50):
Yes, I mean I think the reason is that this
isn't about any association with anything to do with Virginia
Roberts or Virginia Gufre as she was known. This is
to do with the fact that as trade envy, there
are allegations that the then Prince Andrew basically gave government

(01:12):
secret information that wasn't released in public to Jeffrey Epstein
for Gain. Jeffrey Epstein of course, the late disgraced financier,
but was a successful businessman. And to have somebody giving
you top, well, you know, secret information that hadn't been
made public, gives you the opportunity to make a lot

(01:33):
of money out of it if you know the right people.
And those are the allegations that stand before Andrew mount
Backham Windsor and just he because he's left the police
station and he's no longer in custody does not mean
that's the end of the matter. Far from it. The
investigations are continuing.

Speaker 2 (01:50):
But I think, I mean, it didn't come as a
huge shock to me because that odious couple have been
flogging themselves off and their names off and their proximity
to power off for years and years and years. Look
at Sarah Ferguson trying to flog off access to a
husband to the Saudis.

Speaker 3 (02:04):
Or Yes, I would agree with that, but that's doing
things for money. This knowledge, to my knowledge, there is
no suggestion that you know, he said I will give
you this information if you give me X ten thousands
of dollars. It was purely, I think, as done as

(02:25):
a friend, if you like, and that's the sort of
a friendship which of course he's lived a regret and
many are disgusted with anyway. But either way, the idea
that a member of the royal family could be a
senior member of the royal family as he was, could
be arrested, I think has left many people stand here
today he is eighth in line to the throne still

(02:46):
despite losing all his titles and not being a prince anymore.
And of course the police did have the option of
just basically knocking on the door and saying can we
have a quick chat with you at the time of
your choosing at the police station, and of course that
would have meant none of them world media would have known. Instead,

(03:08):
at least three cars drove in at a roughly eight
am local time and on his sixty sixth birthday arrested him.
And it didn't take long for that story to get
not just into the UK media but around the world.

Speaker 2 (03:21):
Yeah, it was a purpwalk, wasn't it. What the Americans
called the purp work. It's done for show and pr
and maximum publicity.

Speaker 3 (03:30):
Yeah, I think there's an element of that. Apparently King
Charles did not know it was going to happen beforehand.
That's what they're saying. I know many people would find
that hard to believe. The Home Office, that's the government
department that runs the police, they did know about it.
Either way. The picture of him leaving custody a couple

(03:51):
of hours ago now shows a man who looks haunted,
who looks absolutely as somebody who's had a big dose
of humble pie, frankly, and he's sort of ducked down
in the seat a bit, and I dare say, still
in a state of shock. We believe he's going back
to wood Farm, which is on Soundringham, the private estate

(04:13):
in the east of England known by the King. The
King's statement makes it clear that nobody is above the
law and that effectively includes his brother, and a very
important last sentence in the statement of the King's talks
about duty. And I think that's where the King is
hoping he would be able to sort of distance family

(04:34):
from monarchy.

Speaker 2 (04:37):
If he wasn't such an unlovely individual. He is a
truly ghastly human from what I have read. I've never
met him, but everybody who has, and I know a
couple of people who have met him, who have had
dealings with him, who just say he is the most unlikable,
stupid and lovely human. I doubt very much whether he

(04:59):
is eating humble pie. I think he's still outraged that
had even happened, the lack of self awareness seems. But
if he wasn't such an unlovely person, do you think
there would have been such a fan fear around as
a risk well not a reason discussions.

Speaker 3 (05:17):
Yes, I think people have enjoyed his arrest and discomfort.
There's no doubt about that at all. He of course,
is maintaining his complete innocence, says nothing to see here,
didn't do anything wrong. But this is just one of
a number of police forces around the UK who are
investigating him for various things. Of course, some of them

(05:40):
are looking at the possibility that women, young women were
trafficked in and out of the UK to Jeffrey Epstein's
private island, and allegations that Prince Andrew was on some
of those flights. Again, he denies any knowledge of that.
But this is a man and I have met people
who have you know, have known him and have worked
for him. He's always been incredibly arrogant. He's always been

(06:04):
a man who is quick to remind people of his
position as was the Queen's favorite son, you know, at
one point second in line to the throne. And I
think you're right. I think that has made people not
rejoice but enjoy some people, darre I said his predicament.

(06:25):
There is that old saying, isn't there, Kerry, You be
nice to people on your way up because you might
need them on your way down.

Speaker 2 (06:31):
Absolutely, and I think the whole of the commonwealth is thinking,
thank God, as Mother's not here to see this.

Speaker 3 (06:40):
Yeah, And you know what, it wouldn't surprise me if
King Charles, who is a sort of fairly religious man,
hasn't been rather down on his knees trying to talk
to the beloved Queen, the late Queen and to ask
for her advice. I mean, what would she have done
at this point? And I do think that as the man,
as I once joked, who was the world's longest serving apprentice,

(07:03):
King Charles waiting for his chance to the throne, I
do think that we now are going to see a
reign dominated by his younger brother. It seems extraordinary, but
I think we're now going to see it because this
could be the start of a very very long process.
And the other slight aspect I think which is of
interest to this is that in America nobody named by

(07:29):
the victims of Jeffrey Epstein has actually been arrested or questioned,
with the exception of Gallain Maxwell, nobody, and those are,
you know, some very senior business people. And that's leading,
I think maybe to a little bit of pressure now
on the President of the United States about you know,
why is that Why haven't those people been called at

(07:51):
least in to be questioned. After all, if you can
call a prince in and arrest him, then maybe a president,
maybe other politicians as well. Of course, Donald Trump's saying
he's been completely vindicated in the Epstein files, but others
saying there is so much redacted, how do we know?

Speaker 2 (08:09):
Well, there's more to come yet, isn't there? What happens next?

Speaker 3 (08:15):
We await to see whether there will be any charges
or any further investigations. Now police were searching today to
properties his current home. Andrew's current home, wood Farm in Sandringham,
that isn't going to be his full time home. His
full time home on Sandringham is being renovated, but he's

(08:35):
staying at wood Farm, where incidentally, Prince Philip spent his
last days. Now, the search there, no doubt was mobile phones, records, emails,
that sort of thing, computers, But there has also been
a search at Prince and Andrew's former home Andrew Mount Batman,
Winsor's former home near Windsor Castle, and that has been

(08:55):
ongoing and that's taking a lot. I mean it's a
huge building, but that is taking a long time. And again,
what more will they learn because at the moment, of course,
in the Epstein files they've been getting bits and pieces.
But the bits that they might find on Andrew's laptops
and phone, well, of course they won't be in any
way redacted, so they will be in theory if they

(09:17):
still exist, the messages that were sent between the pair,
and so we could be in for a very long ride.
The options are, of course, no charger could be brought
and they say thank you and we're sorry we arrested you,
but we had reason to do that and now you're
find to go about your way. However, there are six
different police forces or more in the UK investigating Andrew,

(09:37):
so it's not going to go away completely. They may
decide to charge him, and that of course puts the
whole ball game into a completely different arena.

Speaker 2 (09:48):
Thank you so much for your insights. Kevin Gray are
UK correspondent on the arist of Andrew mount Betten winsor
News Talks sid be.

Speaker 1 (09:57):
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