LONDON – Ex-Prince Andrew has won his legal case against British police after challenging raids on two of his royal homes that led to his arrest in February.
Lawyers for Andrew, who was stripped of his royal titles last year amid his links to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, challenged the legality of the search warrants used in his arrest. Detectives spent days searching the Sandringham Estate and Windsor's Royal Lodge, Andrew's former residence.
During a private hearing on Thursday, Oct. 8, the judge said that "agreement was reached between the claimant and Thames Valley Police that the search warrants were unlawful," though the judge noted that "the fact that the search warrants were quashed does not bring an investigation to an end,
or mean that the whole of the investigation was unlawful."
Andrew did not attend the court hearing. During the review, the court heard that officers removed documents and electronic devices from Andrew's residences after a judge issued search issues in February. The court found those warrants were not correctly granted.
Thames Valley Police said it accepted the "initial court's decision to issue warrants under the specific piece of legislation used was incorrect" when it was given permission to search Andrew's homes on Feb. 19, the BBC reported.
Andrew's legal challenge against the police marked the first time a member of the royal family has challenged the lawfulness of criminal proceedings against them since the trial of Charles I in 1649.
The disgraced royal remains under police investigation following his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public life. He has denied any wrongdoing in his associations with Epstein and has not been formally charged.
Andrew's win raises questions about evidence gathered during the police investigation into Andrew, whose arrest coincided with his 66th birthday.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Police raids on ex-Prince Andrew's homes were unlawful, court rules
