london
—
King Charles’s statement was swift and severe. It said authorities were providing “full and wholehearted support and cooperation” and that “the law must take appropriate action.”
Hours earlier, his brother had been arrested at his home on the Crown’s private estate in Sandringham, north London. It was a surprising development, even by the standards of a family unaccustomed to controversy.
The king’s succinct response, in just over 100 words, could not be clearer in his own name. “My family and I will continue our duty and service to you,” he concluded. Translation: I place my duty to my country above any sympathy I may have for my brother.
Prince William and Duchess Kate support the strategy, and the most senior members of the royal family are understood to be united behind it.
The king’s tactics in dealing with the allegations surrounding Andrew contrasted with those of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
Andrew was reportedly her favorite son, and critics have previously said she did not act quickly enough to hold Mountbatten-Windsor to account for the fallout from her friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Many are wondering why she allowed Buckingham Palace to be used as the location for her disastrous 2019 BBC interview in which she tried to dispel cheating allegations.
Some are questioning why the late Queen allegedly offered Andrew millions of dollars to settle a civil sexual assault lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre in 2021.
Despite the payment, Andrew always denied all of Giuffre’s claims and said he had no recollection of meeting her, even though they took pictures together.
By contrast, King Charles has taken a more assertive stance in dealing with his brother since taking the throne in 2022. King Charles was reportedly exploring the option of removing Andrew from the Windsor residence long before stripping his brother of his ‘prince’ status and kicking him from the royal estate in October.
Notably, Prince Charles did not specifically refer to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as his brother in his statement released on Thursday.
A royal source told CNN that neither King Charles nor the palace received advance warning of Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest. An arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office is not an indication of guilt, of course, but it marks another extraordinary moment in Andrew’s long fall from grace.
Police said he has been released but remains under investigation. No charges have been filed.
The former prince has not publicly responded to the latest allegations, which emerged after the US Department of Justice released millions of documents related to Epstein. Mr Mountbatten-Windsor has repeatedly denied any allegations of wrongdoing, saying he never witnessed or suspected Mr Epstein of any of the acts he is accused of.
He has not commented on recent allegations of misconduct in public office.
But Thursday’s events, which began with a convoy of unmarked police vehicles arriving early in the morning at Andrew’s temporary home at Sandringham estate on his 66th birthday, left Britain’s royal family staring at one of its biggest crises in decades.
In some ways, this development was shocking, but not at all surprising, given the growing weight of suspicion against Andrew that has loomed large over the entire family over the years.
The Palace confirmed last week that Prince Charles would assist authorities in their investigation. If questioned, it would mean the Palace could allow police to access internal communications between Andrew and others.
Due to their 11-year age difference, Charles and Andrew are not thought to have been particularly close from an early age. The king is known to have an even stronger bond with his younger sister, Princess Anne.
The brothers probably became closest in the 1980s, as the two women were known to be good friends, after Charles married Diana and Andrew married Sarah Ferguson.
Royal historian Kate Williams told CNN: “While their relationship has drifted apart in recent years, when they were younger they were members of the royal family together, knew each other well and their families were close.”
She also said the family is currently “going through some major issues that are separating them from Andrew.”
She expects the public may now demand more accountability from the king and the wider family.
“The question will increasingly be asked, ‘What did Charles know?’ And people will start saying, ‘What did William know?'” Williams said. “This will be the biggest challenge the royal family has faced since Princess Diana’s death.”
Royal critic Sandro Monetti said: “The Andrew issue has defined, and will continue to define, King Charles’ entire reign.”
“I would like to point out that despite what has been taken away from Andrew, he is still eighth in line to the throne,” Monetti added, suggesting that calls to change this could be heard in parliament in the coming days.
“The actions he is accused of put the entire future of the monarchy at risk,” he said.
