High Court quashes warrants used in Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor police searches

Court ruling on search powers

Search warrants obtained by Thames Valley Police during its investigation into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor have been quashed after the force accepted that the legal basis used to obtain them was incorrect.

At the High Court on Thursday 8 October 2026, Mr Justice Hilliard confirmed that the parties had agreed the warrants were unlawful. They had been used in February to search Mountbatten-Windsor's residence on the Sandringham Estate and his former home, Royal Lodge, in Windsor.

Investigation remains ongoing

The warrants were connected with an investigation into alleged misconduct in public office. Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested in February, questioned and subsequently released under investigation. He has denied wrongdoing and has not been charged.

The judge made clear that quashing the warrants does not, by itself, end the criminal investigation or mean the entire investigation was unlawful. That distinction is important: the legality of particular search powers and the merits of the underlying allegations are separate questions.

What happens to seized material?

Thames Valley Police has said that further legal proceedings will determine how material taken during the searches is handled and whether it may lawfully be retained for the ongoing inquiry. The force says it continues to pursue reasonable lines of investigation.

The High Court decision puts attention on the safeguards governing applications for search warrants, especially in cases attracting major public scrutiny. A warrant must be issued under the correct legal power, and procedural failures can be challenged in court.

No finding of criminal guilt has been made against Mountbatten-Windsor. Equally, the ruling about the warrants should not be described as clearing him of the allegations under investigation. Any future charging decision would be a separate development requiring its own report.