Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor became the first member of the British Royal Family to be arrested in more than 350 years after police took him into custody on Thursday, February 19. The former Duke of York, who turned 66 on Thursday, was released after being held for roughly 11 hours at the Aylsham Police Station in Norfolk, England. Although King Charles expressed his "full support" for the investigation, royal journalist and author Robert Jobson told People that there could be larger implications for the Royal Family.
The ex-Duke of York was taken from The King's Sandringham estate and arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office on Thursday morning, as the BBC first reported. Andrew, who formerly served as a trade envoy for the U.K., has been accused of sharing confidential documents with Jeffrey Epstein after emails between the two were released by the Department of Justice in January.
"When these things went on, he was Prince Andrew, Duke of York," Jobson told People. "He was right at the heart of the Royal Family and appointed by the late Queen and the government. It is one thing kicking him out now and saying he is a bad apple, but they didn’t have due diligence in place."
Jobson continued that if members of the Royal Family were aware of what Andrew had done, the consequences could be severe. "The problem will be—who knew what and when and why was nothing done?" he asked.
"If it comes out that people knew stuff—whether it be members of the family or police or staffers—then heads must roll," the Windsor Legacy author added.
The Thames Valley Police issued a statement confirming a "man in his sixties from Norfolk" was "released under investigation" on Thursday evening, not calling the former Duke of York by name.
Jobson said that Andrew's arrest brings into question transparency within the Royal Family. "Charles is not guilty of anything here. But the monarchy needs to change," he said. "They can’t hide behind the Official Secrets Act and the lack of Freedom of Information."
"They have to be as accountable and transparent as a government department," the royal expert continued. "All these whispers here or there, they have to be much firmer in the way they approach things. The lack of accountability and the lack of transparency has led to complacency which has led to this problem."
