Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest Thursday in Norfolk, England, marked the first time in more than 350 years that a high-ranking member of the royal family was arrested.
Historical turning point for the royal family
“This is new territory for the royal family and no one knows where it will end,” Duncan Larcombe tells Rolling Stone. Larcombe has covered the British royal family since 2004 and is the author of “Prince Harry: The Inside Story.” “This is potentially hugely damaging and for King Charles it is the stuff of nightmares.”
Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest is not related to ongoing allegations of sexual misconduct against him, but to revelations in the Epstein files that the royal sent trading reports to Jeffrey Epstein in 2010 while working for the British government. Thames Valley Police arrested King Charles’ brother on his 66th birthday on “suspicion of misconduct in public office”.
He has been conditionally released while the investigation continues and the photo of him leaving the police station dominated front pages in the UK on Friday. However, the impact of Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest extends beyond the UK’s borders and made international headlines. A journalist researching Epstein tells Rolling Stone that the arrest of a royal could be seen as a sign that, at least outside the United States, no one is above the law.
Distancing by King Charles
King Charles III stripped his brother of his titles in October as scrutiny of his ties to Epstein continued. After Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest, the British monarch released a statement saying law enforcement had the full and unconditional support and cooperation of the royal family. “Let me be clear: the law must take its course,” he said.
Larcombe says the stripping of the titles was a “pre-emptive strike” by the royal family to create as much distance from him as possible.
Role of Prince William
“It is an indication that [Andrews] Brother the King has recognized how serious some of these allegations are,” says Larcombe. “It kind of shows that the royals knew what was going to happen. If they’re on a life raft after a shipwreck, Charles isn’t going to jump into the water to save his brother. Self-preservation is more important.”
Larcombe says that if the Queen had still been alive, Mountbatten-Windsor might have been a little more protected. He says Prince William was “particularly instrumental” in putting pressure on his family to distance themselves from Mountbatten-Windsor.
Institution before family
“William is sensible and recognizes how potentially damaging this could be for the wider royal family,” says Larcombe. He adds that King Charles, William and Catherine are “incredibly popular” in the UK, so he doesn’t think this means the end of the royal family. This just shows that they will place the institution of the family above family ties.
“They can weather this storm, but from their perspective, Andrew will now be left to his fate,” he says. “You will not go down with this sinking ship.”
An unprecedented moment
Larcombe says the numerous allegations against Mountbatten-Windsor have been going on for 15 to 16 years, but the recent release of the Epstein files was damaging because it gave British authorities a clearer basis to investigate the royal for misconduct in public office. However, in the context of the British monarchy, this arrest is unprecedented in modern history.
“My jaw dropped,” Larcombe says. “If Andrew goes to prison, it will be at his brother’s request,” alluding to the term “at His Majesty’s pleasure,” which describes a prison sentence. He believes this will be seen as a historic moment in the country.
“You will remember where you were when you heard that Prince Andrew was arrested.”
Voice of the Epstein investigation
Investigative journalist Julie K. Brown says when she heard about Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest, the first person she thought of was Virginia Giuffre. Giuffre, who died by suicide last April, was one of Epstein’s most prominent accusers and claimed she was forced to have sex with Mountbatten-Windsor as a teenager. In 2022, she reached an out-of-court settlement with Mountbatten-Windsor in a highly publicized sexual assault case.
“Virginia has been through so much and fought so hard for accountability, particularly with regard to the former Prince Andrew,” Brown said. “I know the charges against him had nothing to do with sexual misconduct, but anyone who investigates knows that sometimes you can’t get a charge passed, but you can find something else to charge someone with.”
Signal to those affected
“It seems like King Charles set this up so that the authorities would do the right thing,” Brown adds. “He took a step back — the whole time there was a sense that Andrew was being protected, so this shows that no one is above the law. And that was kind of the theme of this story, that there seem to be so many powerful, influential, politically connected people who have been above the law so far.”
Brown said she believes Andrew’s arrest sends a message to Epstein’s survivors that the world is on their side.
“Even though the Justice Department has kind of shut this down here in the United States,” Brown says, noting that there have been no similar high-level consequences in the United States, “I feel like the world is on their side. The public has put this at the top of the agenda because they’re paying attention to this story. And I think that [Epsteins Opfer] can feel that they have support, perhaps not from our government, but from the public in general, worldwide. And I think that at least gives them some comfort that there are at least some people in the world who believe them.”
