A Royal Horror Story

“You can’t do this to me, I’m the Queen’s son,” Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor complained on February 2 as he was marched out of his Grade II listed house, Royal Lodge, in Windsor Great Park. It had been his home for 20 years with his wife Sarah Ferguson, both when they were married and then divorced. He was then taken to Wood Farm on the King’s Sandringham estate in Norfolk. The plan was that he would have a temporary home which his father Prince Philip had used in his last days. Thank goodness the late prince wasn’t around to see six police cars arrive at 8am just as Andrew finished his breakfast served by one of the only three staff he now had.

The Thames Valley Police took no notice of his 66^th birthday on that day. Instead, they said there was a “suspicion of misconduct in public office”, the alleged sharing of confidential material by Andrew with the American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

It was the first time the former prince, who has faced numerous allegations over his links to Epstein, had been arrested.

Neither Andrew nor his brother King Charles were given advanced notice and Andrew, no longer a member of the royal family, was dealt with like a common criminal. He was likely to be both furious and scared.

He was led to a car and taken to a police station for about 11 hours’ custody. Handcuffs were not used but a saliva swab was taken, as were fingerprints and a photograph for the police record. He was formally read his rights after he was detained and he had a single cup of tea. He was also allowed one phone call, which could enable him to call his lawyer and he was put in a holding cell, a small room with a bed and toilet.

He was driven home in the dark, looking dumfounded slouched near the car floor, no doubt so he couldn’t be seen

A statement from the King about the shocking event was ready unusually quickly. It didn’t include the word ‘brother’ but it did say, “Let me state clearly: the law must take its part.”

After Andrew was arrested the police thoroughly searched Wood Farm and then Royal Lodge, which is deeply humiliating of the biggest scandal in 380 years for the royal family.

Sarah, who has always seemed in financial trouble and persuaded Epstein to support her in full, disappeared into the most expensive rehab clinic in the world in Switzerland, costing about $17,000 a day. It is not known who picked up the bill.

Andrew has always been a relentless womaniser and his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth, always had a soft spot for him, but she didn’t want to know about his despicable behaviour to many girls.

When her Platinum Jubilee was nearing, in June 2022, the Queen didn’t want to hear of any problems, so no one told her. In February 2022 Andrew stated he had no recollection of Virginia Giuffre, who had steadfastly declared she had sex three times with him when she was only seventeen. To settle her claim out of court she was paid £12 million, reportedly with funds from the Queen and the late Philip’s estate. She later committed suicide. King Charles did not contribute.

Some people in Britain want the King to abdicate and Prince William to take over, although Charles has immediately shown no sign of stepping down from the job for which he had waited more than seventy years.

William recently said: “change is on my agenda” when he succeeds to the throne. He and the Princess of Wales are “understood” to support the King’s statement after Andrew’s arrest. The coldness of their comment clearly revealed they don’t support Andrew.

Andrew was once the second in line to the throne, but as time has passed he has grown more seems annoyed that other royal children have automatically pushed him down the line; he now stands eighth. There are so many younger royals ahead of him that it is virtually impossible he would ever become king, and there is growing political pressure for him to be officially removed from the line.

But he is still a Counsellor of State, who could stand in for the monarch if he is unwell or overseas. At the present only working royals are called upon to carry out those duties, but Andrew still holds that status.

Andrew is not apologetic. In fact, he still repeatedly denies doing anything wrong at all. The King’s biographer, Robert Hardman, says he was told by a source that Andrew has done nothing but complain about his treatment since he arrived in his new home, moaning about where his horse will go and also about his car. He also shows no gratitude to his brother for giving him financial support.

After his service in the Royal Navy, in 2001 Andrew was made the UK’s Special Representative for International Trade and Investment, which involved promoting British business interests abroad. Charles, then Prince of Wales, felt it wasn’t at all appropriate for Andrew but Tony Blair, Prime Minister at the time, thought his status as a member of the royal family would impress people. Peter Mandelson, who is now also in deep trouble because of his links with Epstein, was a senior Labour figure and Blair confidant and reportedly pushed for Andrew’s appointment. He got the job in 2001and quit in 2011 after his close relationship with Epstein was revealed.

There are concerns that a secret business deal has been sent to the Chinese state and confidential information has been passed on from a UK trade envoy to Jeffrey Epstein

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The King made a surprise appearance at London Fashion Week just hours after news broke of Andrew’s arrest. He looked stressed and was generous with his time, but it could hardly have taken his mind off things.

It’s important to remember that King Charles cannot testify or be a witness in his own courts. But it will be very difficult to rebuild the monarchy’s reputation for integrity and there are likely to be many more revelations still to come about Epstein’s links to the highest ranks of British society.