James' World 2

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It’s not a particularly edifying sight. Andrew is slumped in the back seat of a car after his release, fingers steepled, whether in prayer or protection.

His collar is up. For that matter, his collar has been felt. Was Andrew’s expression of shock how he looked when he had a mugshot photo taken in police custody?

It’ll become the counterpart of that other famous Andrew picture, taken almost 25 years ago, of a smiling, confident prince, beside a 17-year-old Virginia Giuffre in a London townhouse, when the capital was his playground.

Earlier, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor had become the first senior member of the Royal Family in modern history to have been arrested. It was another catch-your-breath moment.

It was followed by an unprecedented statement from his brother, King Charles. “Let me state clearly: the law must take its course,” read the unambiguous statement from the King, offering no hiding place or royal get-out clause.

The arrest, on suspicion of misconduct in public office, relates to Andrew’s time as the UK’s trade representative between 2001 and 2011. It follows a series of allegations, prompted by the release of the Epstein files, that Andrew shared official documents.

That included sharing reports from trade visits and a confidential briefing on investment in Afghanistan with the 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 no-nonsense police statement on Thursday morning was a bluntly worded news earthquake: “The man remains in police custody at this time.”

Whoever thought we’d read 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 counsellor of state?

Andrew’s explanation of his behaviour won’t be in a TV interview. The public will not have forgotten the BBC’s 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 the investigating officers, rather than under the TV lights, and the consequences of any untruths will be much more serious.

The action by the police on a winter’s morning in Norfolk was remarkable, breaking news, and also appeared to have taken the King by surprise as much as anyone else.

But the story of Andrew’s links to Epstein has been decades in the making – and so has Andrew’s downfall, first chipping away at his reputation before turning into an avalanche of disgrace.

The association with Epstein meant Andrew lost his trade envoy role in 2011, and after that disastrous Newsnight interview in 2019 he was removed as a working royal.

His retreat from public life became even more complete after his 2022 settlement with his accuser, Virginia Giuffre.

And in October last year, as emails revealed that Andrew hadn’t ended his links with Epstein when he had claimed, he was stripped of his prince and duke titles, and eventually shuffled out of his Royal Lodge home at Windsor.

They were tough sanctions, removing any vestige of royal status.

The Palace has had some nervous moments in recent times, with questions shouted by hecklers suggesting they might be protecting Andrew.

The statement from the King will have sought to draw a line under this and separate the Royal Family from whatever might happen to Andrew.

Another important factor in all of this is the public mood. The Epstein files, and what they have revealed regarding a network of those apparently high in connections but low on morals, have left people feeling angry at such unaccountable power and wealth.

It has felt abusive to the public, that the rich and influential appear to have been immune from the consequences of their behaviour, be it in terms of either sex or money. It has seemed to the public that corruption paid.

Making the arrest even more resonant is that it happened on Andrew’s 66th birthday. Any candles would have to wait.

There are references to Andrew’s previous birthdays in the Epstein files, such as a glitzy bash for his 50th at St James’s Palace.

One person who had to turn down the invite for that night of “mysterious mischief” was Jeffrey Epstein, who was still under house arrest as part of a sentence for procuring a minor for prostitution.

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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, after his release from custody after his arrest

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