The arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the brother of King Charles III and son of the late Queen Elizabeth II, is threatening Britain’s monarchy in an unprecedented way, royal experts say.
Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, was arrested Thursday, his 66th birthday, on suspicion of misconduct in public office, according to the Thames Valley Police
Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested at Sandringham estate, the king’s estate, in eastern England. Buckingham Palace said Thursday that Charles was not informed ahead of his brother’s arrest, which follows the emergence of documents detailing communication between Andrew and the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Watch Impact x Nightline, “The Prince, The Predator and The Arrest,” now streaming on Disney Plus and Hulu.
Then-Britain’s Prince Andrew and Britain’s King Charles III leave after the Requiem Mass service for the Duchess of Kent at Westminster Cathedral in London, Sept. 16, 2025.
Joanna Chan/AP, FILES
Mountbatten-Windsor, the first senior royal arrested in recent history, has previously denied wrongdoing with respect to Epstein.
“It’s undoubtedly a threat to the monarchy,” ABC News royal contributor Robert Jobson said Thursday of Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest, noting the historic and “seismic” nature of a police raid taking place at a royal estate.
“I think some people, many people, younger people included, will argue, what is the point of an institution that’s unelected when you’ve got criminality, or potential criminality, actually unfolding like this and members of the royal family being arrested and cautioned … to give evidence under oath in an interview?” Jobson said on “Good Morning America.” “It’s shocking.”
Watch Impact x Nightline, “The Prince, The Predator and The Arrest,” now streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.
Charles, who ascended to the throne in 2022 following Elizabeth’s death, called for the law to “take its course” in a statement issued Thursday by Buckingham Palace.
“I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office,” Charles said in the statement. “What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities. In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and co-operation.”
Charles continued, “Let me state clearly: the law must take its course. As this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter. Meanwhile, my family and I will continue in our duty and service to you all.”
Britain’s Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Britain’s Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Britain’s Prince Charles, Prince of Wales during the ceremonial funeral procession of Britain’s Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh to St George’s Chapel, in Windsor, April 17, 2021.
Leon Neal/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Charles’ son Prince William, heir to the throne, and William’s wife Kate, the Princess of Wales, did not issue a new statement following Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest, but ABC News understands they support the king’s statement.
Just hours after news of Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest was made public, both Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, attended public engagements — Charles attending a fashion show and Camilla attending an orchestra performance — though neither answered reporters’ questions about Mountbatten-Windsor.
While the royal adage has long been to “keep calm and carry on,” the royal family’s commitment to continuing their duties has so far not moved the public discussion away from Mountbatten-Windsor, according to ABC News royal contributor Victoria Murphy.
Queen Camilla, King Charles III, Prince Louis of Wales, Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince George of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during Trooping The Colour 2025, June 14, 2025 in London.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
“The focus on this over the past few years, and particularly the past few days, has been very damaging. What we’ve seen in the past few days is … members of the royal family heckled on official engagements to an extent that we absolutely have not seen before,” Murphy said Thursday, referring to recent incidents in which the queen and others have faced shouted comments about Mountbatten-Windsor.
“I think that really shows … that this is not just an issue, as they keep saying, for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, but it is also sparking huge discussion and debate around the monarchy as a whole,” Murphy added.
Murphy described Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest as “potentially hugely damaging” for Britain’s royal family, noting that anti-monarchy groups are using the fallout from Mountbatten-Windsor’s ties to Epstein to renew their calls for an end to the monarchy.
“We’re seeing very mixed opinions [in the U.K.] on how they’re handling this and what they should do now,” she said. “But we’re all seeing a kind of resurgence in debates and discussions around monarchy itself, around this system that we have. People are really questioning that now.”
Though Mountbatten-Windsor faced scrutiny for his ties to Epstein during Elizabeth’s reign, it was not until his brother took the throne that Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested.
As king, Charles has already stripped Mountbatten-Windsor of his “style, titles and honours,” including his prince title, and, more recently, evicted Mountbatten-Windsor from his longtime home, Royal Lodge, on the grounds of Windsor Castle.
Even with his titles stripped, Mountbatten-Windsor, as a child of the queen, remains in the line of succession, as do his daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and their combined four children. Mountbatten-Windsor is currently eighth in line to the throne behind William and his younger brother Prince Harry and their combined five children.
In addition to the fallout from Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest, Charles and his family may also face lingering questions from the public about what they knew and when, as it relates to Mountbatten-Windsor’s ties to Epstein, according to Jobson.
Epstein-related documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice in January include correspondence between Mountbatten-Windsor and Epstein in 2010, after Epstein concluded a 13-month jail sentence and work release, the result of a 2008 plea bargain with federal prosecutors in Florida.
The documents also show the two men communicated beyond the time Mountbatten-Windsor said publicly that he had cut ties with Epstein.
“This cover-up, if it does turn out to be a cover-up, could be a real damage, serious damage to the royal family, because you’ve got to remember, this has been in the public domain for over 16 years,” Jobson said, later adding, “This does not really look good for the institution, as well as the individual.”
Watch Impact x Nightline, “The Prince, The Predator and The Arrest,” now streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.
The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company of ABC News, Disney+ and Hulu.
Leave a Reply