Home Office informed of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's arrest in advance but not King Charles

There is no formal protocol for police to notify the Government of any high-profile arrests they intend to make.

The People's Channel understands that King Charles and Buckingham Palace were not warned that his younger brother was to be arrested by officers from Thames Valley Police.

The King’s brother is the first senior member of the Royal Family to be arrested in modern times.

Mr Mountbatten-Windsor has since been released after being arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office over his ties to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The former prince is accused of sharing sensitive information with Epstein while serving as the UK’s trade envoy.

His brother, the King, said “the law must take its course” after expressing his “deepest concern” over the arrest, which came after millions of files were released by the US Department of Justice in relation to the Epstein scandal.

Mr Mountbatten-Windsor has denied any wrongdoing over his Epstein links.

Thames Valley Police previously said the force was reviewing allegations after emails released as part of the trove of documents appeared to show the former duke sharing reports of official visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore with the disgraced financier.

Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest on Thursday, on his 66th birthday, followed pictures of officers in attendance at his home on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, with police seen gathering outside Wood Farm.

In the afternoon, several police officers were standing nearby, close to a private entrance to the estate.

Searches have also taken place at the Royal Lodge, Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s former home in Windsor, Berkshire, where multiple vans carrying uniformed officers arrived on Thursday afternoon.

The Prince and Princess of Wales are understood to support the King’s statement, which read: “As I have said before, they (the police) have our full and wholehearted support and co-operation.

“Let me state clearly: the law must take its course.”

The King carried on with his duties as monarch in the wake of Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest by continuing with his planned ambassadorial in-person audiences in the Throne Room at St James’s Palace.

He was later met with questions about his brother while arriving at an engagement in the Strand area of central London, hours after issuing his statement.

Charles did not respond to questions.

The Queen also did not respond after being asked: “Are you concerned about Andrew’s arrest, your majesty?” during an engagement in Westminster.

Mr Mountbatten-Windsor remains in the line of succession – he is eighth in line to the throne, having gradually moved down after being born second in line.

Several police forces across the UK are assessing information released as part of the Epstein files document dump.

Officers from Surrey, Bedfordshire, Essex, Norfolk, the West Midlands, Wiltshire and Scotland have all said they are reviewing information.

On Wednesday, the Met said it was also looking at allegations that Mr Mountbatten-Windsor's protection officers turned a “blind eye” to his visits to Epstein’s island, Little St James.

The National Crime Agency said it was supporting UK forces in their Epstein files probes.