Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s shocked, disbelieving, haunted face will be part of how his arrest is remembered.
It’s not a particularly enlightening sight. After his release, Andrew slumped in the back seat of his car, his fingers pointed, whether for prayer or protection.
His collar was turned up. For that matter, his collar had been touched. Is this the shocked look on Andrew’s face when he was photographed in police custody?
It will be the counterpart to another famous photo of Andrew, taken some 25 years ago, showing a smiling and confident prince with 17-year-old Virginia Giuffre in a London townhouse when the capital was his playground.
Photo of Andrew and Virginia Giuffre taken approximately 25 years ago [US Department of Justice]
Previously, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor became the first senior member of the royal family to be arrested in modern history. It’s another moment that takes your breath away.
This was followed by an unprecedented statement from his brother King Charles. “Let me be clear: the law must follow the law,” read the king’s unambiguous statement, which did not offer any hiding places or royal escape provisions.
The arrest is related to alleged misconduct in public office while Andrew was the UK Trade Representative from 2001 to 2011. The release of the Epstein documents previously triggered a series of accusations that Andrew shared official documents.
These include sharing trade visit reports and confidential briefings on investments in Afghanistan with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as well as passing Treasury briefings to personal business contacts.
As a member of the royal family, the way his case is assessed will have no legal repercussions.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has always denied any wrongdoing in his relationship with Epstein.
A blunt news earthquake came on Thursday morning when the police issued a solemn statement: “The man remains in police custody.”
Who would have thought we would be reading this when the man was still heir to the throne and still in theory, if not in practice, counselor of state?
Andrew’s explanation for his actions will not appear in the television interview. The public will not forget the BBC Newsnight interview, which was the last time Andrew publicly spoke about his relationship with Epstein.
This time, in the presence of lawyers and investigators rather than under television lights, the consequences of any untruth would be far more serious.
The police action on a winter morning in Norfolk was big news and seemed to surprise the King as much as anyone else.
But the story of Andrew’s ties to Epstein had been decades in the making – and so was Andrew’s downfall, with his reputation first eroded and then turned into an avalanche of shame.
The Epstein links meant Andrew lost his role as trade envoy in 2011, and he was sacked as a working royal after a disastrous Newsnight interview in 2019.
After reaching a settlement with accuser Virginia Giuffre in 2022, he retreated more completely from public life.
Last October, after emails revealed that Andrew had not ended his association with Epstein as he had claimed, he was stripped of his titles of prince and duke and ultimately kicked out of Windsor Royal Villa.
They were severe sanctions that removed any trace of royal status.
There have been some tense moments at the palace recently, with hecklers shouting questions, suggesting they may be protecting Andrew.
The king’s statement will attempt to draw a line at this point and separate the royal family from anything that might happen to Andrew.
Another important factor in all of this is public sentiment. The Epstein dossier, and what they revealed about a network of seemingly well-connected but morally inferior individuals, has fueled outrage about such unaccountable power and wealth.
It is an affront to the public that rich and influential people appear to be immune to the consequences of their actions, whether sexual or financial. In the eyes of the public, corruption has a price.
What makes this arrest even more resonant is that it occurred on what would have been Andrew’s 66th birthday. Any candle has to wait.
Epstein’s files mention previous birthdays for Andrew, such as a lavish event celebrating his 50th at St. James’s Palace.
One person who had to turn down an invitation to participate in the “mysterious prank” that night was Jeffrey Epstein, who was sentenced to house arrest for pimping minors into prostitution.
Andrew celebrated his birthday 12 months ago as Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Earl of Inverness and a Knight of the Garter. Who knows what may have changed by his next birthday.
