An insider close to the Duke of Sussex has spoken out after Andrew Mountbatten Windsor’s arrest on his 66th birthday, to reveal how the news landed in sunny Montecito
18:53, 20 Feb 2026Updated 19:05, 20 Feb 2026
Harry’s position on Andrew has been vindicated after former duke’s arrest(Image: Getty Images)
Thousands of miles away from the crisis-hit walls of Buckingham Palace, the Duke of Sussex is watching his disgraced uncle’s fall from grace.
And now, as the world waits with bated breath to hear from more Royal Family members on the scandal engulfing the monarchy, an insider close to Prince Harry has told the Mirror how he really feels about Andrew Mountbatten Windsor’s extraordinary arrest this week – hinting that there’s frustrations in Montecito over extended “silence” from other parts of “the institution”.
The former Duke of York spent the majority of his 66th birthday in custody on Thursday after police swooped in to arrest him at his temporary Sandringham home on suspicion of misconduct in public office, in relation to his links with Jeffrey Epstein. Authorities have carried out hours-long searches of properties in Sandringham and Royal Lodge in Windsor so far, with raids said to be continuing into the weekend.
Andrew spent a total of 11 hours in custody before he was photographed looking shell-shocked leaving the police station, and remains “under investigation”. Tonight, it’s been revealed that the government will be exploring the necessary legislative steps to remove Andrew from the line of succession altogether once the police investigation against him has concluded.
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Andrew photographed leaving the police station after his arrest(Image: REUTERS)
Unlike the “never complain, never explain” mantra often adopted by the Firm, the Duke of Sussex has not shied away from speaking his mind – but now he seems to find himself deciding to let other members of his family do the talking. Harry, unlike other members of the House of Windsor, first spoke out against him shamed uncle some years ago – with senior royals only catching up in the last few months.
Speaking out after Andrew’s arrest, a source with inside knowledge told us: “Harry made his views about Andrew abundantly clear in his book three years ago, at a time when other parts of the institution remained silent. 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.”
Harry wrote about his uncle in his memoir Spare, in a revealing passage that detailed why he was so shocked when police security was unceremoniously stripped from his family, while they were staying in Canada shortly after they had announced their shock royal exit in 2020. The Covid-19 pandemic was quickly taking hold and borders were rapidly closing in an attempt to contain the virus’ spread. Harry and Meghan’s location had been made public, and the couple along with their son Archie, a baby at the time, felt like “sitting ducks”.
He explained in the book that Andrew was one of the main reasons he had never thought he would be left in the lurch security-wise, and he had even used the example of disgraced uncle to comfort his wife Meghan, when she had asked if they would be left without the necessary security. “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.
Prince Harry and Andrew(Image: Getty Images)
King Charles issued a blistering statement about Andrew last autumn, announcing that his titles and styles would be officially removed and throwing his support behind survivors. After news of Andrew’s arrest broke, he released another personal statement stating the “law must take its course”. For their part, in the last fortnight, Kate and William have said they are “deeply concerned” about the allegations, and Prince Edward implored people to “remember the victims” during a recent foreign tour.
Andrew denies accusations of wrongdoing and sexual assault levied against him. In 2019, in an attempt to clear his name, he took part in a sit-down interview with the BBC – which was widely dubbed a “car crash”. Afterwards, he swiftly stepped back from official royal duties, but his police security remained, and he continued to live in his lavish mansion Royal Lodge until his recent flit under the cover of darkness to Norfolk.
In his autobiography, the Duke of Sussex wrote that at one stage, he and Meghan were deemed to have an elevated security “threat level” with only the late Queen given the same risk assessment. The couple were also evicted from their own Crown Estate property – Frogmore Cottage, located within the royal protected zone in Windsor – shortly after the publication of Spare, which had followed the couple’s six-part documentary series for Netflix.
Andrew, on the other hand, who held a long-lease to Royal Lodge where he only paid a “peppercorn” rent, only agreed last October to hand back the keys. It was only in 2022 that Andrew’s taxpayer funded security was reported to be removed, but it has been widely suggested that the King continued to foot the bill until 2024.
Police officers at the gates of Andrew’s former home in Windsor(Image: Tony Kershaw / SWNS)
Now, the monarch’s brother relies on what’s been dubbed a “modest stipend” from Charles with sources reported as saying the King feels obliged to cover his brother’s costs, because Andrew’s attempts to support himself financially have not historically ‘gone well’. This will include, the Mirror understands, potentially covering any of Andrew’s legal costs that might be accrued in the ongoing investigations if he were unable to pay them himself – though this is yet to be determined.
The process to remove Andrew from the line of succession would require the agreement of the 14 British realms. Sources suggest this consultation will not begin until any and all investigations are concluded, and would require an act of parliament. Sir Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, has said that the former duke’s position in the line of succession was an issue Parliament would have “to consider when the time is right”.
Sir Ed added, “The most important thing right now is that the police be allowed to get on with their job, acting without fear or favour. But clearly this is an issue that Parliament is going to have to consider when the time is right, naturally the monarchy will want to make sure he can never become king.”