On February 19, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, former prince of the Royal Family, was arrested on the basis of misconduct in public office. This is allegedly based on his previous ties to Jeffrey Epstein.  Eleven hours after his arrest, Mountbatten-Windsor was released and now resides on his family private Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, England. He is currently still under investigation with authorities searching his previous residence. This cites the first time in almost four hundred years that a senior British Royal is arrested.

Mountbatten-Windsor has repeatedly denied all of the allegations and feels unfairly isolated from the rest of the Royal Family. In fact, talks of his removal from the line of succession have circulated amongst the family; he is eighth in line for the throne. British Defense Minister Luke Pollard stated that this removal would be the “right thing to do.”

This isn’t new for Mountbatten-Windsor, however. Over the years, he has slowly been removed from all royal ties. In 2019, he stepped back from public duties and in 2022 had many of his funding and military affiliations removed by the late Queen Elizabeth. Recently though, King Charles III stripped Mountbatten-Windsor of his prince title as a result of growing pressures that relate him to Epstein.

In response to the arrest, King Charles III stated that “the law must take its course” in the investigation against former Prince Andrew. He continued by affirming that authorities have the Royal Family’s, “full and wholehearted support and co-operation.” Despite the ongoing investigation and tension within the Royal Family, King Charles reassured the people that the family will “continue in our duty and service to you all.”