Andrew Mountbatten Windsor has been arrested on his 66th birthday on suspicion of misconduct in a public office – and proven his nephew Prince Harry to be on the right side of history
A lot of people might not want to hear it, but Prince Harry has proven himself to be ahead of the curve when it comes to his disgraced uncle, Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.
The fallen prince was arrested this week, on his 66th birthday no less, on suspicion of misconduct in a public office. Pictures of the him looking startled, leaving the police station 10 hours after his arrest, speak a thousand words.
The former prince is alleged to have shared confidential documents with Jeffrey Epstein in 2010, who by that time was a convicted sex offender. The email, released in the Epstein files, dates back to Andrew’s time working as a trade envoy on behalf of the British government.
On Christmas Eve that year, the former duke allegedly forwarded Epstein a confidential briefing on investment opportunities in the reconstruction of Helmand Province, Afghanistan, which was overseen at the time by British armed forces and funded by UK government cash. The world – and his family – was under the impression that Andrew had cut ties with the paedophile at that stage.
It seems ironic that this one of the alleged breaches of confidentiality relates to a region where Harry served his country between 2007 and 2008. The Duke of Sussex has been open about the impact that his tours of active duty had on him personally, and dedicated much of his professional life to supporting former service-people. But for many, the supposed sin of candour has been enough to condemn Harry outright – despite the fact that anything Harry or his wife Meghan have done to offend people pales in comparison to the allegations levied at Andrew.
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Andrew retained his police security long after serious allegations had been made against him – but Harry and Meghan were unceremoniously stripped of theirs after they decided they no longer wanted to be working royals. In his 2023 memoir, Spare, Harry revealed that he and his wife faced an elevated threat level – with only the late Queen facing the same level of danger.
Given the seriousness of the threats the couple faced, they were left blindsided when their security was removed – at the time they were in Canada, and their exact location had been exposed, leaving them feeling like “sitting ducks”. Harry wrote that one factor that had made him keep the faith that the couple would be protected was the case of his uncle Andrew. “Despite being involved in an embarrassing scandal, accused of having sexually abused a young woman,” Harry wrote, “nobody had suggested removing his security. People may have a lot of grievances towards us, but sexual offences weren’t one of them.”
Reports suggest that Andrew lost his taxpayer funded security in 2022, but that King Charles continued to privately foot the bill for two more years. After Mountbatten Windsor agreed to vacate his former home of Royal Lodge and was stripped of his titles, it is understood that the King took on the role of financially providing for his younger brother – with sources telling the Times this is in the form of a “modest stipend” and a home on the Sandringham Estate.
In Spare, Harry also describes a moment between him, his father, and brother William after Prince Philip’s funeral, where the now-King begged his arguing sons not to make his “final years a misery” – with the controversy around Andrew leaving a stain on the monarchy, Charles might have been better worrying about who was really likely to destroy his legacy.
The Mirror understands that it seemed to Harry as though the monarchy closed ranks around Andrew – and for a long time. Despite the seriousness of the allegations, a code of silence – the Firm’s old mantra of never complain, never explain – was in full force. In contrast, Harry felt vilified after he made his feelings about Andrew very clear in his memoir in part for his attempt to change the status quo.
No other member of the Royal Family – until incredibly recently – had spoken publicly about the allegations levied at Andrew, which he denies. King Charles threw his support behind the survivors last year and said in a statement about his brother’s arrest, “the law must take its course”. William and Kate’s spokesperson has said in the last fortnight they are “deeply concerned” about the allegations, and Prince Edward urged journalists who asked him about the scandal to “remember the victims”.
The monarchy as institution now finds itself in crisis, with a former senior royal arrested, and police raids at properties in Berkshire and Norfolk that could have seen phones, laptops, and other communications devices seized.
There’s now an uncomfortable reality that Charles and William have to face. Put simply, the revelations about Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, already publicly released in Epstein files, are far more damaging than a single word uttered by Harry since he left royal life behind.
Blame has often be placed at Meghan’s door for the couple’s break from the Royal Family, and for her own public admissions about her struggles in the spotlight as a working member of the House of Windsor. Her popularity in the UK currently sits at a 22 percent approval rating, with only Sarah Ferguson and Andrew Mountbatten Windsor amongst the big name royals who rank below her in the YouGov tables.
Meghan does not owe anyone likeability – but Andrew, just like everyone else, is obliged to follow the letter of the law.
The Duke of Sussex has not shied away from revealing internal family tensions and injustices. Challenging the status quo has consequences for a Firm that prides itself on being the country’s most dignified institution. But the last few weeks has proved that Harry had his reasons for speaking out.
From as soon as he was aware of it, he felt stifled by the way he was characterised in the public eye, and by the role of spare to William’s heir. Andrew keeping his security, 30 room mansion and royal titles until very recently, in the face of such distressing allegations, must be a bitter pill to swallow.
In one email in the Epstein files, an account messages Epstein in 2011 alleging that Andrew was “considering abdication” after the police security of his daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, was removed, but added that the former Duke of York was “like a zoo animal, no way esp [sic] now for him to thrive.”
This characterisation stands out, because it is so markedly similar to how Harry describes existing inside the House of Windsor to feel in his memoir. Both Harry and Andrew were born into their royal positions, but the two men couldn’t have approached the difficulties that came with it more differently – despite the attempts in some quarters to compare or conflate them.
They also couldn’t have been dealt with more differently by the institution that bore them. That a harsher line was taken against Harry and Meghan for trying to find their own path – and for daring to do so in a way that was not quite likeable, not quite palatable enough – than a man accused of serious crime will not be quickly forgotten.
The royals are now finding their voice about Andrew, but this comes years after Harry was brave enough to speak out about the scandal – despite what it might have cost him personally. That’s why now, the Mirror understands, Harry is going to let them do the talking. He’s said what he needed to, and he doesn’t have anything to add. Those that chose silence, and chose not to support to Harry when he took a stand about Andrew can take the floor now – and try and clean up the mess by themselves.
