Former Security Minister and Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat issued a strong statement calling for a parliamentary inquiry into the alleged treason of King Charles III’s brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew.
He said the alleged transfer of confidential government information to Jeffrey Epstein raises “urgent questions of national security,” foreign influence, and potential harm to the country’s interests.
“This goes beyond what a court could reasonably consider. Parliament must assess what this means for the country. If the worst suspicions are confirmed, treason laws written 700 years ago may have to be revisited,” Tugendhat said in an interview with The Sun on Sunday.
The summons was prompted by an ongoing police investigation into Andrew, who was arrested on February 19, 2026, on suspicion of misconduct in public office. According to media reports, this relates to the transfer of classified British government reports to Epstein on investment opportunities in Afghanistan, Vietnam, Singapore, and other countries during Andrew’s tenure as Special Representative for Trade and Investment (2001–2011).
After nearly 12 hours of questioning, Andrew was released “under investigation”; the investigation is ongoing. Police have been conducting searches at his former residence, Royal Lodge (Windsor), and his house on the Sandringham estate for several days. King Charles III previously stated that “the law must take its course” and emphasized the need for a “full, fair, and due process.”
The government has not yet ruled out the possibility of establishing an independent judicial inquiry into the Epstein case and high-ranking officials’ connections to it. A bill to remove Andrew from the line of succession (he is currently eighth in line) is also being discussed. This case is unprecedented in modern Britain: the last arrest of a member of the royal family occurred in 1649, when King Charles I was tried and executed for treason.