Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor ‘could leave UK’ to new location following arrest

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor could be set to leave the UK after his arrest last week, a royal author has suggested.

The disgraced former prince was arrested under suspicion of misconduct in public office on his 66th birthday, 19 February, before being released pending further investigations.

While the exact nature of the alleged offence has not been revealed, it comes after a number of allegations have been made against the royal following the release of the Epstein files.

Mountbatten-Windsor was officially stripped of his 'prince' title back in October 2025, with Buckingham Palace announcing he would also be leaving his royal digs, Royal Lodge, in Windsor.

Now, a royal expert has suggested that a move overseas could be the next step for Andrew, with the United Arab Emirates being highlighted as an obvious choice, given his friendship with the emirate's ruler Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The former prince is unlikely to get the same level of privacy in the UK following his arrest (MEGA/GC Images via Getty)

According to the Mirror, the Sheikh has offered Andrew a luxury 16,000 square foot, fully staffed, six bedroom home in a secure diplomatic area, which would provide him with a level of privacy he is no longer likely to get in the UK, given the intense scrutiny he's currently facing.

However, Andrew Lownie, who penned the book detailing the former Duke of York's life, believes he could be set to emigrate somewhere entirely different.

According to Lownie, Andrew might not actually be able to move to UAE after all, over fears it could compromise the Emirati rulers' relationship with King Charles.

"If he were to go to the Middle East, they wouldn't want to upset the Royal Family," he said.

"He would have to go with the [British] Royal Family's approval - which if that were known would be very unpopular - because their links with the King are more important than their links with Andrew."

There's speculation Andrew might leave the UK (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

Although Bahrain doesn't have a formal extradition treaty with the UK, the country's king, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, is said to be 'very close to Charles,' and there won't want to 'p*** him off.'

Instead, Lownie has suggested Andrew might decide to go somewhere completely different, like China.

"His former secretary Amanda Thirsk works for a Chinese company," he explained. "He's very close to the Chinese ambassador - when no-one went to his birthday party a couple of years ago, the Chinese ambassador turned up. "

Of course, this is all just speculation, with the author adding: "I have no evidence of any of this except my instinct. But that would be a place he could go."