By Kate Holton and Sam Tobin
LONDON, Oct 5 (Reuters) - King Charles' younger brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, is taking the police to court to challenge warrants connected to his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office over allegations he sent government documents to Jeffrey Epstein.
Britain's Judicial Office, part of the non-political civil service, said on Monday a hearing would take place on Thursday after the former prince sought to quash the search warrants issued as part of his arrest in February.
The judicial office gave only limited information about the grounds for the callenge to the warrants. Legal experts said even a successful challenge on technical grounds might not halt the wider investigation into the former prince's conduct.
The second son of the late Queen Elizabeth has denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, and said he regrets their friendship. His lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.
He was arrested on suspicion of leaking confidential government documents to the late convicted sex-offender Epstein when the then-prince served as a British special representative for trade, between 2001 and 2011. Police have not charged him and the investigation is ongoing.
The arrest of Mountbatten-Windsor, and the anger over his relationship with Epstein, has left the British royal family facing one of its worst crises in 90 years.
POLICE WARRANTS IN FOCUS
Thames Valley Police, which carried out the arrest, confirmed it was engaged in legal proceedings in relation to warrants it had obtained from the Central Criminal Court, widely known as the Old Bailey. The police force declined further comment.
The judicial office said the hearing on Thursday, which will begin in private, relates to an effort by the police to restrict access to court documents, without giving further details.
Should Mountbatten-Windsor succeed in having the search warrants quashed, the investigation could still proceed unaffected, said Nick Vamos, partner at law firm Peters & Peters.
"Even if there was some technical flaw with the original warrants, if that can be remedied then the Crown Court may simply allow the police to keep hold of all the material anyway," said Vamos, who is not directly involved in the case.
STATE OF SHOCK
Back in February, Mountbatten-Windsor was questioned all day by detectives. A Reuters photograph which captured the former prince as he left the police station showed him appearing in a state of shock.
He was forced to quit all official royal duties in 2019 over his ties with Epstein, and was then stripped by his older brother of his titles and honours last October after further revelations about their relationship. Epstein was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell in August 2019 in what was ruled a suicide.
News of the legal challenge was first reported by the Daily Telegraph.
(Reporting by Kate Holton in London and Akanksha Khushi in Bengaluru; additional reporting by Sarah Young; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Timothy Heritage)
