Prince Andrew’s Arrest Upends Royal Family’s Effort to Move On

Early Thursday morning, Sandringham Estate was swarmed by unmarked police cars as officers arrested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor amid allegations that he shared confidential government information with Jeffrey Epstein. Later that night he returned to Sandringham low in the back seat of a black sport utility vehicle while news cameras craned to capture his release.

The arrest could be the gravest threat to the family’s moral authority in more than a generation; not since King Charles I was arrested and tried for treason nearly four centuries ago, in January 1649, has a British royal been detained. It has upended Buckingham Palace’s efforts to distance itself from the former prince and may leave an investigation that continues for weeks or months, possibly rivaling royal weddings and coronations as a public spectacle.

If charges are filed, by law they would be brought in the king’s name: "King Charles III v. his brother." For years the family largely stayed silent as accusations that Mr.

United Kingdom, Sandringham

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