British monarchy on back foot as Andrew arrest deepens royal crisis

The British monarchy is facing one of the most extraordinary moments in its modern history.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, was arrested and questioned over suspicions of misconduct in public office last week before being released under investigation.

The development is linked to ongoing scrutiny of his association with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Specifically, there are questions around whether confidential government information may have been shared during his time as UK trade envoy.

Andrew has not been charged and continues to deny wrongdoing.

Richard Fitzwilliams, royal commentator and former editor of International Who’s Who, says what we're seeing is a monarchy in crisis.

“One looks over the last century, there was the abdication crisis of 1936. There was the 1990s, the Queen's annus horribilis and, of course, 1997, Diana's tragic death. The problem is the nature of this."

ALSO READ: UK police arrest ex-prince Andrew on suspicion of misconduct

King Charles III confirmed his brother's arrest in a written statement, insisting that 'the law must take its course'.

Buckingham Palace had previously stripped Andrew of his royal titles and duties following earlier scandals, including a civil settlement with his accuser, Virginia Giuffre, in 2022, in which he denied any wrongdoing.

While praising King Charles for the action he has taken, Fitzwilliams says the problem has been the 'drip, drip' of allegations against Andrew.

"He [Charles] has done pretty well all he could to distance himself. The problem is [the Royal Family] are on the back foot, they haven't known what is coming out of the Epstein files, and as a result, day-by-day, there has been a result of embarrassing emails."

So what exactly is Andrew suspected of?

"He's been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, when he was a special trade envoy. The problem, of course, is that other charges may be brought against him."

While the institution has tried to distance itself from the scandal, the optics of a senior royal being taken into custody are unprecedented in modern times, says Fitzwilliams.

"The issues, of course, are those of transparency and who knew what when."

But will this scandal be enough to bring the monarch to its knees? The royal commentator thinks it's unlikely.

ALSO READ: UK police probe Andrew's protection as royals reel from ex-prince's arrest

To listen to Fitzwilliams in conversation with CapeTalk’s John Maytham, use the audio player below: