ALSO SEE: Bill Gates pulls out of India AI summit amid Epstein scrutiny

Charles says law must take its course as police assess claims King’s brother sent trade reports to Epstein

The former prince was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

Police are searching his property and have him in custody at an undisclosed location.

King Charles, Andrew's brother, says authorities have 'our full and wholehearted support and co-operation.'

Andrew's arrest follows scrutiny over his close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein after the release of millions of pages of documents connected to

U.S. investigation of the late convicted sex offender.

Mountbatten-Windsor had already been cast out of the royal inner circle over his ties to Epstein.

He has not been charged and has previously denied all wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.

Palace sources say there was no advance notice from police that they would arrive at the King’s private Sandringham Estate this morning to arrest Andrew, a man who for the first 22 years of his life was second in line to the throne.

Questions were raised after the latest release of the Epstein files, in which emails appear to show Andrew shared confidential sensitive government information, which was potentially market-changing, with Epstein.

Detectives will be searching for evidence, from hard copies to computer files.

If they decide the case is worth pursuing, the police will take this information to the Crown Prosecution Service. They will then decide if it is in the public interest and if there is enough evidence to pursue a charge.

For now, Andrew Mountbatten Windsor remains in police custody at an undisclosed location. A suspect can be detained without charge for up to 24 hours, and Thames Valley Police can apply for this detention period to be extended to between 36 and 96 hours for serious crimes.

If a charge of misconduct in public office is deemed appropriate, the suspect appears before a magistrates' court, and it is the magistrate who decides if that person remains in custody or is released on bail.

The ex-prince has always denied any wrongdoing.

Police searches of royal properties continue at Sandringham and on the Windsor estate.

As far as reputational declines go, Andrew’s fall is precipitous.

There was a time when the second son of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip was seen as a dashing young prince, winning praise for his actions when he served as a helicopter pilot during the Falklands War in the early 1980s.

But there was controversy in those earlier years, too.

Before he married Sarah Ferguson in 1986, there was another tabloid moniker: "Randy Andy."

Much media attention focused on his relationships, including with girlfriend Koo Stark, His relationship with the American actor ended after it was revealed she had appeared in a 1976 erotic film.

While Andrew was arrested today on suspicion of misconduct in public office, his time as a trade envoy for the U.K. has long been a focus of controversy.

His suitability for the role, which he held from 2001 to 2011, was criticized throughout his time in it, the BBC reported.

Scrutiny ranged from those he allegedly had contact with, including holidaying with a Libyan gun smuggler, to the very nature of how he handled himself, with descriptions of him "verging on rude," the BBC said.

He also came to be known in the tabloids as "Air Miles Andy" for the frequent international travel.