A British judge has thrown out the search warrants police used to raid the homes of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former prince and younger brother of King Charles III.

Thames Valley Police accepted at the High Court that the warrants were unlawful, the BBC reported. The court that issued them in February used the wrong section of Britain's main policing law.

Police searched Royal Lodge and Wood Farm on Feb. 19, when Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. They seized documents and electronic devices.

The arrest followed the release of U.S. Justice Department documents. They raised suspicions that he forwarded confidential information to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein while he was a British trade envoy in 2010. He has always denied any wrongdoing.

The judge, Mr. Justice Hilliard, said the ruling has limits. "The fact that the search warrants were quashed does not bring the investigation to an end or mean that the whole of the investigation is unlawful," he said.

The error matters because of special legal protections. Some material, such as advice from a lawyer, cannot normally be seized. The type of warrant the court granted did not plan for that kind of material, the BBC explained.

Police are now asking to keep what they took under a different legal power. To do that, they must show a judge that the material is likely to be of "substantial value" to the case. Mountbatten-Windsor opposes that request. A closed-door hearing is expected in 2027.

Police said the ruling "is not a judgement on our ongoing investigation." They said they followed correct legal steps and that the error was the court's.

What we know: the warrants were quashed, and the investigation continues.
What we don't: whether police can keep and use the seized material.