Stripped of finery, detained by police as an ordinary citizen: now Andrew – and Britain – enter a whole new era | Simon Jenkins

2026-02-19 - 14:03

What happens next hardly matters: the mystique and awe surrounding the royals had been irretrievably shattered. The former prince’s arrest must change everything The arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is a seismic moment for the royal family as well as for himself. On the one hand, it is hard to believe any greater harm can befall the family from weeks of drip-feed from the US Department of Justice’s Epstein files. On the other, a royal arrest of this sort is unprecedented. Enough is already in the public domain to indicate that police believe that there must be a case to answer to the charge of misconduct in public office. King Charles, who apparently was not warned in advance that his brother was to be arrested, has been scrupulous in his response. “The law must take its course,” he said, offering prosecutors “full and wholehearted support and cooperation”. Whatever happens now, a line has been crossed in the life of the nation. A once exalted royal, facing serious judicial investigation by authorites acting on behalf of the citizenry. Stripped of status and finery, he faces the spotlight as would any other habitant of these isles. One cannot know the outcome, but just this arrest means things can never be the same. Continue reading...