Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrest rocks royal family as King Charles, Prince William, Princess Beatrice reactEloise BudimlichThe NightlyWed, 25 February 2026 11:56AMCommentsComments
Behind closed doors, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s public shunning has been taking its toll on the royal family.
The former prince was arrested on his 66th birthday on suspicion of misconduct in public office. After 11 hours of questioning and a continued search of both Sandringham and the Royal Lodge, Andrew was released pending further investigation.
The royal family has spent years under the shroud of Andrew’s connection to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, but the recent escalation has sent things into a spin.
Now it can be revealed how each member has dealt with the recent upheaval in the privacy of their homes.
King Charles ‘devastated’
It was King Charles who stripped Andrew of his title back in October 2025 following the publication of Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir and ensuing global outrage.
Ms Giuffre, an Australian former model, was one of Epstein’s most prominent accusers. She also alleged Andrew raped her, saying the ex-duke believed having sex with her was his “birthright”. Andrew has consistently denied these allegations.
When the former prince was arrested, the royal family was reportedly blindsided.
Since then, insiders have said Charles was devastated by the revelation.
Beatrice’s breakdown
Princess Beatrice, one of the two daughters Andrew shares with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, has reportedly been suffering since her father’s arrest.
In the most recent disclosure of the Epstein files, it was shown that Andrew and Ms Ferguson had involved Beatrice and her younger sister, Princess Eugenie, in their friendship with Epstein.
Just days after Epstein was released from jail in 2009, Ms Ferguson took her daughters to lunch with him.
Tom Sykes, who produces The Royalist, spoke to a source that said Beatrice is “on the verge of a nervous breakdown”.
“She is horrified by what has been revealed about her father, as any child would be, and of course her absolute sympathy is with the victims.”
Harry and William
Prince William and Princess Kate made their first public appearance since Andrew’s arrest at the BAFTAs on the weekend.
They were quick to move on from a reporter who asked them whether the monarchy was “in peril” after the disgraced former prince’s arrest, The Mirror reported.
Other clips of the pair interacting with industry figures appeared to show them getting on with things as best as they can in the circumstances.
Judi James, a body language expert, said that their interactions demonstrated “subtle signs of suppressed or masked tension”.
In the past, Prince Harry had been the most vocal member of the royal family on the subject of Andrew, having publicly addressed the allegations against the 66-year-old in his memoir Spare.
“Despite being involved in an embarrassing scandal, accused of having sexually abused a young woman, nobody had suggested removing his security. People may have a lot of grievances towards us, but sexual offences weren’t one of them,” Harry wrote.
A source close to him has said Harry is not speaking out now because he already made his views about Andrew clear in his memoir.
“For that candour he was vilified and ostracised by the institution, sections of the press and significant parts of British society for ‘airing the family’s dirty laundry’ and challenging the status quo. I’m not surprised he isn’t leaping up to start offering his two cents on this.”
Sarah Ferguson
Ms Ferguson has avoided the public eye entirely for months as the fallout from the Epstein files uncovered her own personal connection to the disgraced financier.
It had previously been thought that her connection to Epstein existed as a result of Andrew’s – a secondary link.
In actual fact, the files revealed that she thought of Epstein as a “brother” and “pillar” in her life.
She was made to leave the Royal Lodge alongside Andrew, with whom she lived for decades following their split.
After fleeing under the cover of darkness, it is thought she spent some time in the Alps and the UAE, but The Mirror reported she was spotted hiding in Zurich at a resort sporting a hefty daily fee of $25,000.
Distress is not a word that has come up to describe Ms Ferguson’s state in the wake of the scandal, rather, insiders have said she wishes to drive a wedge between herself and the ex-prince.
Having had six of her businesses wind up in the wake of the scandal, as well as her charity Sarah’s Trust, it’s understood the former duchess is also keen to generate some income, though financial worries and the price tag of her current accommodation don’t mesh well.
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