Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has for years faced a series of allegations over his contacts with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Overnight, on his 66th birthday, those ties led to him becoming the first senior British royal to be arrested since King Charles I in 1647.
The brother of King Charles III is accused of sharing confidential trade information with the disgraced financier, Epstein.
The former prince has denied any wrongdoing.
These are some of the key moments leading up to the former prince's royal fall from grace.
A photo is taken this month of Mr Mountbatten-Windsor walking through New York City's Central Park alongside Epstein.
The image is the first to publicly connect Mr Mountbatten-Windsor to Epstein when it is published on the front page of the New York Post on February 21, 2011.
The meeting occurred shortly after Epstein was released from prison after being convicted of procuring a girl under the age of 18 for prostitution.
Days later, a second now-notorious photograph of Mr Mountbatten-Windsor from 2001 is published by the British Daily Mail.
It shows him next to Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre, appearing to hold the then-17-year-old's waist, with Epstein's accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell in the background.
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor is forced to resign as Britain's special trade envoy following the first reports of his links to Epstein.
He had held the role since 2001, travelling the world in support of British business.
"The role as special representative will no longer exist as the Duke of York has decided to relinquish it after 10 years," a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said.
At the time, Queen Elizabeth II said her son would continue to make official trips abroad as a member of the royal family in support of Britain's foreign interests.
Virginia Giuffre alleges in US court filings that Epstein trafficked her to the former Prince Andrew when she was 17.
The then 32-year-old alleged she was forced to have sexual relations with the prince on multiple occasions.
London's Met Police review her claims but take no further action.
Epstein is arrested for a second time on charges of sex trafficking, accused of abusing dozens of teenage girls as young as 14 years old.
The arrest renews scrutiny of his associates, including Mr Mountbatten-Windsor.
Epstein then dies by suicide in a New York jail cell in August.
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor attempts to contain the flood of scrutiny by agreeing to an on-camera grilling by BBC reporter Emily Maitlis.
The interview backfires when the former prince fails to show empathy for Epstein's victims and made claims that were met with scepticism and, in some cases, even ridicule.
At one point, Mr Mountbatten-Windsor told his interviewer he could not sweat, countering allegations by Virginia Giuffre that he was "profusely sweating" during an alleged 2001 sexual encounter.
He also claimed to cut off contact with Epstein in December 2010 and questioned the legitimacy of a 2001 photo that appears to show him posing with Ms Giuffre and Ghislaine Maxwell in 2001.
Days later, he withdraws from public royal duties "for the foreseeable future".
US Attorney Geoffrey Berman announces that then-Prince Andrew had provided "zero cooperation" to the FBI's Epstein investigation, despite his pledge to help.
The former prince's lawyers denied the claims, suggesting the Department of Justice (DOJ) was "seeking publicity" rather than accepting help from the Duke.
"The Duke of York [Andrew] has on at least three occasions this year offered his assistance as a witness to the DOJ," the statement read.
The US Department of Justice formally asks the UK to facilitate an interview with Mr Mountbatten-Windsor as part of the Epstein probe. No interview takes place.
Virginia Giuffre sues Prince Andrew in a US court for sexual assault in August 2021.
In a statement, Ms Giuffre said the lawsuit was brought under the Child Victims Act to allege she was trafficked to him and sexually abused by him.
"I am holding Prince Andrew accountable for what he did to me," she said.
"The powerful and rich are not exempt from being held responsible for their actions."
The Met Police re-examined the Epstein allegations, but announced in October that they found insufficient evidence to pursue a criminal investigation.
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor agrees to settle a New York civil lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre.
While he did not admit to any of Giuffre's allegations, he acknowledged that she had suffered as a victim of sexual abuse.
The cost of the settlement has not been disclosed but legal experts estimated it could be as high as $US10 million ($14 million). The source of the funds is also unclear.
Virginia Giuffre dies by suicide in Australia, where she had lived since about 2002.
"Virginia was a fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking," her family said in a statement.
"She was the light that lifted so many survivors. Despite all the adversity she faced in her life, she shone so bright. She will be missed beyond measure."
British newspapers The Mail and The Sun both separately publish reports claiming Mr Mountbatten-Windsor sent an email to Epstein in 2011.
The claims appeared to contradict the former prince's earlier assertions that he had cut contact with Epstein in 2010.
The email, signed with the letter "A" and "HRH The Duke of York KG", read:
"I'm just as concerned for you!
"Don't worry about me!
"It would seem we are in this together and will have to rise above it.
"Otherwise keep in close touch and we'll play some more soon!!!!"
Both newspapers claimed the email was sent on February 28, 2011, which was a day after the 2001 photograph of Mr Mountbatten-Windsor and Ms Giuffre was published by the Daily Mail.
Extracts from Giuffre's posthumously released memoir resurface her allegations that she was forced to have sex with Mr Mountbatten-WIndsor as a minor in 2001.
"He was friendly enough, but still entitled — as if he believed having sex with me was his birthright," she wrote.
Giuffre claimed she was told to have sex with the former prince after going to a nightclub with Epstein and Ms Maxwell.
"He seemed in a rush to have intercourse … afterward, he said 'thank you' in his clipped British accent."
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor announces he will give up his royal titles and honours after speaking with his brother King Charles because "the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family".
At the time, he was able to retain his title of Prince Andrew and it was understood he would no longer attend traditional royal family events such as the annual Christmas celebrations held at Sandringham.
King Charles announces Andrew will be stripped of his remaining royal honours, including the title of prince, which he had held since birth.
Formal notice is also given to Mr Mountbatten-Windsor that he surrender the lease of the mansion in the grounds of Windsor that he has lived in for more than 20 years.
He will move into private accommodation at Sandringham, the King says. Mr Mountbatten-Windsor left Windsor on February 2, 2026.
Buckingham Palace says censures against the former prince are "deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him".
The US government releases more than three million pages of documents from the "Epstein files".
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor features prominently in the included emails.
In emails dated from 2010, the former prince invited Epstein to dine at Buckingham Palace.
Other files included a photograph that appeared to show Mr Mountbatten-Windsor kneeling over an unidentified woman lying on the floor.
Other emails also appeared to suggest the former prince shared official British trade documents with Epstein in 2010 while he was a trade envoy for the UK government.
After the UK's Thames Valley Police confirmed it was assessing the information suggesting Mr Mountbatten-Windsor passed confidential trade information to Epstein, King Charles signalled he would support any formal investigation into his brother.
"The King has made clear, in words and through unprecedented actions, his profound concern at allegations which continue to come to light in respect of Mr Mountbatten-Windsor's conduct," a palace statement said.
In their first statement on the issue, Prince William and Princess Catherine also said they were "deeply concerned" by the revelations.
"I can confirm The Prince and Princess have been deeply concerned by the continuing revelations. Their thoughts remain focused on the victims," a spokesperson for Kensington Palace said.
The former prince is taken into custody by Thames Valley Police on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Officers also searched two properties associated with Mr Mountbatten-Windsor in Berkshire and Norfolk.
After being held for almost 12 hours, he was "released under investigation" without charge.
A statement from Buckingham Palace said King Charles would offer authorities "our full and wholehearted support and co-operation".
"What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities," he said.
At least nine separate UK police forces have confirmed they are assessing reports appearing to link the former prince to Epstein.
ABC/Wires
