Britain’s typically pro-royal public welcomed the arrest Thursday of the former prince Andrew, whose friendship with convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has turned him into an outcast.
Some appeared delighted that police were holding King Charles III’s brother, arguing it sent the right message that the royal family is not above the law.
Following years of accusations stemming from Andrew’s Epstein links, the schadenfreude on the British streets was illustrated by lawyer Emma Carter.
The 55-year-old from Essex, east of London, argued the disgraced royal had been “hiding behind his privileges and the popularity of the queen for too many years,” referring to his late mother, queen Elizabeth II.
“He should have been arrested a long time ago, quite frankly,” she told AFP.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, as he is now known, was detained earlier Thursday on suspicion of misconduct while acting as a UK trade envoy.
Police also searched two properties, following revelations in newly released US documents that he apparently shared potentially confidential reports with Epstein.
Maggie Yeo, 59, also welcomed the news with a smile.
“I thought they (the royal family) were untouchable. It is good to know they are not beyond justice,” she told AFP. “At least British justice is working.”
Yeo said she felt sorry for Charles, who has insisted police must be allowed to carry out their investigation. “He is suffering from cancer.”
Sentiment in Yorkshire, northern England, appeared more measured, with several people urging patience.
“Lots of people have got opinions, but until something is proven in court, it’s not fair to judge,” managing director Andrew Hurst, 58, told AFP in the Yorkshire Dales market town of Leyburn.
Back in the capital, Jennifer Tiso, a 39-year-old data analyst, welcomed the message sent by the arrest.
“I don’t think that just because you are related to the royal family, you should be above the law or have a different treatment from regular people,” Tiso said.
“I think it’s time. It’s happened before with rock stars, superstars, and now it’s getting to places of higher power, like the royal family.”
Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing. In 2022, he agreed to pay a multi-million-pound sum to settle a claim by Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of abusing her, without admitting any liability.
Many British people seemed to think the royal family was untouchable.
A YouGov institute opinion poll released Monday had found that 62 percent of respondents believed it unlikely that Andrew would be charged.
Andrew’s notoriety following years of reports of his partying with Epstein was borne out in public reactions.
Kevin, a 66-year-old pensioner from the southern city of Salisbury, who only gave his first name, said Elizabeth II’s middle son Andrew was “not clever” and “arrogant”.
“I am not against the royal family, but he doesn’t give the right example. He was the queen’s favourite. She liked to protect him.”
The arrest was important, he said, as the case “involves business, contracts, money, relations with foreign states”.
Andrew’s arrest, reportedly at his new home on the king’s Sandringham estate, concerned his role as a trade envoy between 2001 to 2011.
Various UK police forces have said they are “assessing” claims stemming from the latest release of Epstein files that could link Andrew to other alleged crimes.
Yorkshire retiree Lisa Cockthorn, 56, called it “disappointing for the royal family”.
“They have quite a lot to worry about with issues themselves, other than Andrew,” she said.
“We still don’t know everything about it. It can be quite hard for him, Andrew, to say that he’s innocent and try and prove it. But we don’t know.”
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