Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s shocked, disbelieving and haunted face will become part of how his arrest will be remembered.
Not a particularly edifying sight. Andrew is slumped in the backseat of a car after his release, fingers cupped either in prayer or protection.
His collar is up. Besides, his collar felt. Was Andrew’s shocked expression the way he looked when he took a photo from the police in police custody?
It will become the counterpart to Andrew’s other famous picture, taken nearly 25 years ago, of a smiling confident prince with 17-year-old Virginia Giuffre in a London home when the capital was his playground.
The photo of Andrew and Virginia Giuffre was taken almost 25 years ago [US Department of Justice]
Earlier, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor had become the first senior member of the Royal Family in modern history to be arrested. It was another time to catch your breath.
It was followed by an unprecedented statement from his brother, King Charles. “Let me be clear: the law must take its course,” the king’s unequivocal statement read, offering no hiding place or royal get-out clause.
The arrest, on suspicion of misconduct in public office, relates to the period when Andrew was a UK trade representative between 2001 and 2011. It follows a series of allegations, prompted by the publication of the Epstein files, that Andrew shared official documents.
This included sharing reports from trade visits and a confidential briefing on investments in Afghanistan with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and passing a Treasury briefing to a personal business contact.
Being a member of the Royal Family will make no legal difference to how his case is assessed.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied any wrongdoing in his associations with Epstein.
The simple statement from police on Thursday morning was a clear news earthquake: “The man remains in police custody at this time.”
Who would have thought that we were reading that sentence when the man in question is still in the line of succession to the throne, and in theory if not in practice remains a councilor of state?
Andrew’s explanation for his behavior will not be in a TV interview. The public will not have forgotten the BBC Newsnight interview, which remains the last time Andrew spoke publicly about his relationship with Epstein.
This time it will have been in the presence of a lawyer and investigating officers, rather than under the lights of television, and the consequences of any untruths will be much more serious.
The police action on a winter’s morning in Norfolk was remarkable breaking news – and it also seemed to have caught the King as much by surprise as anyone else.
But the story of Andrew’s ties to Epstein has been decades in the making – and so has Andrew’s downfall, first tarnishing his reputation before spiraling into an avalanche of shame.
The association with Epstein meant Andrew lost his role as trade envoy in 2011, and after that disastrous Newsnight interview in 2019, he was removed as a royal.
His withdrawal from public life became even more complete after his 2022 settlement with his accuser Virginia Giuffre.
And last October, as emails revealed that Andrew had not ended his ties to Epstein when he claimed, he was stripped of his prince and duke titles and finally kicked out of his Royal Lodge home in Windsor.
They were harsh penalties, removing any trace of royal status.
The palace has had some nervous moments lately, with questions being shouted by callers suggesting they might be protecting Andrew.
The king’s statement will have tried to draw a line on that and separate the royal family from whatever might happen to Andrew.
Another important factor in all this is the mood of the audience. The Epstein files and what they revealed about a network of seemingly high-connected but low-morale people left people feeling furious at such unaccountable power and wealth.
It felt abusive to the public that the rich and powerful seemed to have been immune to the consequences of their behavior, be it sex or money. It seemed to the public that the corruption had paid off.
Making the arrest even more reasonable is the fact that it happened on Andrew’s 66th birthday. Any candle would have to wait.
There are references to Andrew’s previous birthdays in the Epstein files, such as a glittering party for his 50th at St James’s Palace.
One person who had to turn down the invitation for that night of “mystery wandering” was Jeffrey Epstein, who was still under house arrest as part of a sentence for procuring a minor for prostitution.
Andrew celebrated his birthday 12 months ago as Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Earl of Inverness and Knight of the Garter. Who knows what will have changed by his next birthday.