Britain’s former prince Andrew was on Thursday arrested on suspicion of misconduct during his time as a trade envoy, as UK police investigations into allegations emerging from the Jeffrey Epstein files gathered pace.

Unprecedented in Britain’s modern era, the arrest was a new blow for the ousted royal, who was marking his 66th birthday on Thursday.

Recall that Andrew was stripped of all his titles last year, having been forced out of his former home by his brother King Charles III.

Several UK media reported a fleet of unmarked cars, believed to be police vehicles, were seen arriving early Thursday at the Sandringham estate in eastern England where Andrew now resides.

New revelations last week appeared to show Andrew sent convicted US sex offender Epstein potentially confidential documents during his time as a UK trade envoy.

In a November 2010 email seen by reporters, Andrew appeared to share with Epstein reports on Vietnam, Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Singapore following an official visit to Asia.

Meanwhile, he had previously denied any wrongdoing in his associations with Epstein.