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Search warrants obtained by Thames Valley Police for two properties linked to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor have been declared unlawful following an agreement between the former royal and the police force, a High Court judge has confirmed.
The development was addressed during a hearing at London’s Royal Courts of Justice on Thursday, overseen by Mr Justice Hilliard. Andrew was not present for the proceedings.
The disputed warrants were issued on 18 February 2026 and permitted police officers to search addresses in Norfolk and Berkshire. The searches formed part of an investigation into allegations of misconduct in public office.
Both Andrew and Thames Valley Police subsequently agreed that the warrants had been authorised on an incorrect legal basis by a judge at the Old Bailey.
As a result, the High Court formally set aside the warrants on 22 July, confirming that the original authorisations could not legally stand.
Although the search warrants were overturned, Mr Justice Hilliard made clear that the decision should not be interpreted as invalidating the wider police investigation.
Explaining the significance of the ruling, the judge stated that “the fact that the search warrants were quashed does not bring an investigation to an end, or mean that the whole of the investigation was unlawful”.
His comments clarified that the legal issue concerned the procedure and statutory grounds used to obtain the warrants, rather than the legitimacy of the criminal inquiry as a whole.
Thames Valley Police reinforced that distinction in its response, stating that “the agreement that led to the quashing of the warrants relates specifically to a decision made by the court regarding the legal basis for these and is not a judgement on our ongoing investigation”.
The police force also issued a fuller explanation acknowledging that the court had been wrong to authorise the searches under the particular legislation relied upon at the time.
Because the warrants had been granted using an incorrect legal basis, Thames Valley Police accepted that they could not remain valid and therefore had to be formally quashed.
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Thames Valley Police maintained that officers had acted appropriately when applying for the disputed search warrants, despite the subsequent finding that they had been issued under the wrong legal provisions.
In its statement, the force insisted it had “ensured the court was presented with all the necessary information and paperwork to inform their decision, following the correct legal processes throughout”.
Meanwhile, further court proceedings are taking place to establish what should happen to evidence and other property collected during the searches. A central question is whether investigators are legally entitled to retain the seized material for use in their continuing inquiry.
Police also confirmed that the criminal investigation has not been discontinued.
The force stated that its “investigation into alleged misconduct in public office by a man in his 60s from Norfolk remains ongoing”, while emphasising its commitment “to pursue all reasonable lines of enquiry to effectively and fairly progress this investigation”.
With related legal matters still before the courts, Thames Valley Police said it would not provide any additional comments at this stage.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor took legal action against Thames Valley Police after claiming that officers had removed private and confidential belongings during the February searches, despite those items allegedly having no relevance to the criminal inquiry.
The former Duke of York challenged the warrants through judicial review proceedings, questioning the legal authority that allowed detectives to search his property in Norfolk and his former home in Windsor.
His legal challenge extends beyond concerns about the items collected by investigators. Andrew’s lawyers have also sought a High Court ruling on whether the Old Bailey judge who initially approved the search warrants had acted within the law.
The remaining proceedings are expected to determine what happens to the material obtained during the searches, including whether police can retain it and whether any of the seized items may lawfully be used as part of the continuing investigation into alleged misconduct in public office.
