Former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been arrested by police in the U.K. on suspicion of passing on sensitive information to American financier and convicted pedophile, Jeffrey Epstein.

Suspicion has swirled around the former prince and younger brother of King Charles III after images and allegations about his connections to Epstein first surfaced years ago.

Andrew’s home is being searched and he has been released after being taken into police custody yesterday.  King Charles has pledged “full and wholehearted support and co-operation” with authorities and indicated that “the law must take its course.”

Memorial University political scientist Luke Ashworth says the arrest was related to alleged misconduct in public office, and is not related to allegations of sexual assault made against him by Virginia Giuffre.

“The allegation is passing on sensitive information to Jeffrey Epstein, so this is on top of what’s also being investigated in the U.K.. which is the possible trafficking of women into the U.K.” as was revealed in the Epstein files

Ashworth told the Tim Powers Show that the arrest of a member of the Royal Family is historic.

“Though there was the case of Princess Anne (who pleaded guilty in connection with a dog attack involving one of her dogs in 2002), you have to go back a few hundred of years, to periods of civil war to find a time when a key member of the Royal Family has been arrested.”