“A man on a constant self-aggrandizing and self-enriching hustle. A rude, arrogant and entitled man.” That was one view on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor expressed this week following his arrest last Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office. What is most striking, however, is that this was not a TV commentator or critic on social media. It was a British Government minister, and the comments were made inside the House of Commons during an extraordinary parliamentary debate.
To say that the royal family is in an unprecedented situation right now is an understatement. While the much-quoted detail that the last senior royal to be arrested was King Charles I back in the 17th century is disputed, it is absolutely the case that modern royal history offers no parallel. Andrew’s arrest and the wider fallout from his ties to Epstein have repeatedly been described as the biggest royal crisis since the 1936 abdication (Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing). So how exactly is the royal family handling it?
Carrying on with public engagements 
Karwai Tang//Getty Images
King Charles sits in the front row.
Just hours after his brother’s arrest, King Charles was sitting on the front row at London Fashion Week. In normal times this would most likely have been an upbeat and entertaining story, yet in these circumstances it was jarring. Indeed, the fact questions were shouted at the King on the way in (notably something that rarely happened to royals until an explosion of recent heckles) felt like the only part of the visit that really met the moment.
Since then, the approach of carrying on has prevailed. There have been investitures and messages about the Winter Olympics. Kate watched the rugby in her role as Patron of the RFU, she and William went to the BAFTAs, Queen Camilla welcomed Gisèle Pelicot to Clarence House, the King presented education prizes, and Duchess Sophie is in Somalia.
Max Mumby/Indigo//Getty Images
The Waleses at the BAFTAs.
Anyone questioning the wisdom of this approach need only consider the alternative. Imagine if the royals stopped working and went to ground. It would essentially strip them of their raison d’être. Behind the scenes they may not be calm (William said as much at BAFTA although he did not specifically mention Andrew), but they know their relevance is dependent on carrying on.
Release of brief statements 
Gareth Fuller – PA Images//Getty Images
A police car at the entrance to the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.
As the narrative around Andrew continues to engulf them, the royals have not been entirely silent. It took almost two hours for Buckingham Palace to release a statement following the announcement of Andrew’s arrest, explained by the fact they did not know about it in advance. But when it came, it was a personal message directly from the King. His main point was “the law must take its course.” If ever there was a time to emphasize that a royal would not get special treatment then this was most definitely it.
After the Epstein Files’ release, but before Andrew’s arrest, there were signs the family now feel the need to be a bit more vocal than in the past on Andrew. Kensington Palace released William and Kate’s first thoughts on the matter, saying they remained “focussed on the victims.” Buckingham Palace also spelled out before Andrew’s arrest that they stood “ready to support police.”
The fact there is now an active police investigation means that certain information cannot be put into the public domain in the UK in order not to risk prejudicing the legal process. This is something that the royals are very mindful of and will have an impact on anything said publicly. However, it was already hard to imagine them speaking more fully or at length over this. There have been calls for an address to the nation, but the precedent is for brief statements and there is nothing to suggest that is about to change.
MEGA//Getty Images
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is seen being driven away from a police station following his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in a public office.
Removal of Andrew from public view
Since the removal of all Andrew’s titles last October, he has not appeared at all with the family publicly, even at personal events which was the case beforehand. His presence is now barely discernible on the royal household’s websites. And it has recently been reported that he has been told not to go out riding for fear of the optics. The former Prince was photographed riding at Windsor not long after losing his titles.
Andrew’s new home on the Sandringham Estate is being paid for privately by the King. Reports have emphasized that the family has a duty of care to Andrew. The fact he is at Sandringham and his accommodation is paid for also arguably gives the royals more oversight of his next steps.
Ploughing on through the ongoing fallout 
Mark Cuthbert//Getty Images
Andrew at Charles’s coronation in 2023.
It is pretty clear now that the King’s move to completely cut Andrew off from monarchy back in October by removing all his titles has done nothing to stem the damage the institution is facing. The conversation repeatedly turns to questions for the Palace over how they have handled Andrew through the years, and also the wider conversation around the concept of monarchy itself and the culture of deference.
One of the biggest challenges for the royals is the fact that the furore is nowhere near dying down and there are many different moving parts. There is the specific police investigation into misconduct in public office, which could take any length of time and unfold in a number of different ways (Andrew is under investigation but has not been charged with anything). In addition, police across the UK have been assessing other allegations. And finally, accusations of criminality completely aside, there is the wider interrogation of Andrew’s links to Epstein constantly playing out politically and in global media coverage.
Politicians have gone back to 2001 in debates about Andrew’s appointment as UK Trade Envoy. They have backed the release of documents relating to this and questioned conventions that restrict scrutiny and criticism of the royals. Andrew’s arrest is entirely unrelated to allegations made by Virginia Giuffre, which he denies, but fresh questions are being asked about where the reported £12 million paid to her in a settlement came from.
Brief statements aside, the royals have remained silent on all of this, continuing with their duties and their social media posts as usual. Polling carried out before Andrew’s arrest has shown mixed reaction from British people to their response. However, they can take some encouragement from the fact that the popularity of the other individual royals remains consistent.
Town & Country Contributing Editor Victoria Murphy has reported on the British Royal Family since 2010. She has interviewed Prince Harry and has travelled the world covering several royal tours. She is a frequent contributor to Good Morning America. Victoria authored Town & Country book The Queen: A Life in Pictures, released in 2021.