British police have admitted that search warrants used to raid properties linked to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor were granted unlawfully and must be quashed. Thames Valley Police said on October 8 that it accepted the warrants had been issued under the wrong legislation. The High Court quashed the warrants at a hearing, where Judge Nicholas Hilliard found a significant error in the application and granting process.

Mountbatten-Windsor, 66, was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office linked to his relationship with the late Jeffrey Epstein. Homes at Sandringham and Royal Lodge in Windsor were searched. Police said their criminal investigation remains ongoing and they are fighting to retain the seized material, including documents and devices.

A decision on the material is expected next year. Mountbatten-Windsor has denied wrongdoing. A senior judge found a significant error in the force’s warrant application. Legal experts said the error was technical and did not mean seized items would be inadmissible in any prosecution. Police have not charged him.