Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor

 

Recent photo of Andrew 
Mountbatten-Windsor;
entitled and indulged.

 Because of the continuing and influential publicity over the Epstein files, I had decided to write a blog on the former Prince Andrew and, bang on target, came this morning’s news [19/02/26] that he had just been arrested by Thames Valley Police! Whatever his level of stupidity, duplicity or wrongdoing, it is certainly reassuring to know that in Britain, a member of the Royal Family, albeit one already in some public ‘trouble’, can be arrested when events call for that. It is the first senior Royal arrest since 1647.

David Rowland; Andrew M-W; Jeffrey Epstein

And so to Andrew. Emails published in the Daily Telegraph, [a Royal supporter surely?] suggest that in 2010 the then Prince Andrew asked for information from Treasury officials on banking problems in Iceland. In fact, he asked for, “an update note on the latest position between the UK and Iceland on the matter of the deposits and the deposit guarantee scheme,” This was at a time when Iceland’s banking sector faced problems after three large banks there had experienced severe difficulties, following the 2008 financial crisis, and had had to be nationalised. The briefing he received, was shared with Jonathan Rowland, a business connection of Andrew’s, whose father, David Rowland, subsequently took over part of a failing Icelandic bank. The Epstein files reveal the closeness of Andrew to David Rowland with the former prince calling him his “trusted money man”, inviting him to his, Andrew’s, birthday party and to the wedding of his daughter, Princess Eugenie. Rowland’s son, Jonathan, also appeared to have a close relationship with Mountbatten-Windsor, joining him on trips as an official trade envoy, to places such as China and the former Soviet states.

Andrew was allowed to keep his Falklands'
medals when other honours were removed
by the King last year. Andrew was a 
helicopter pilot and instructor during 
the Falklands war.

During this period, when Andrew was serving as the UK’s trade envoy, his behaviour constituted a misuse of his public role by giving official, i.e. privileged, information to a private associate. It means that the Thames Valley Police’s most recent position in which they have been assessing whether to launch an investigation into possible criminal misconduct in public office, has been resolved with Andrew’s arrest today. Emails from the Epstein files suggested that Mountbatten-Windsor had also forwarded official documents to Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted paedophile and financier, such as reports from overseas trade trips to southeast Asia and a briefing by UK officials on investment in Afghanistan described by the former prince as “confidential.”

In one of the Epstein emails, Mountbatten-Windsor wrote that “he [David Rowland] is actively seeking high net worth individuals for his Private Bank. Perhaps this is an avenue for your undecided Chinese?”. The Private bank referred to was Rowland’s Banque Havilland. Epstein replied, “His bank just might be the place… I guess I should learn more.”  The emails released by the US Department of Justice also suggest that Rowland’s bank had made loans to Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, who had also faced

Sarah Ferguson, Andrew's former wife, with him in January 2026

debt problems.  Banque Havilland has experienced problems with regulators in the UK and Europe and lost its banking license in 2024, a decision against which the bank is appealing. 

The media is swift to print salacious
news about a Royal Person in
public trouble. Andrew is clearly
younger, here.

Andrew over the inert body of a young woman whose face
has been obscured.

The Observer suggests that the British Royal family could easily face an existential threat from the Andrew debacle, clearly understood by the King with his swift response to todays’ arrest of Andrew, pledging his “full and whole-hearted support and co-operation for the authorities. The law must take its course”.  The Royal Family has worked hard to present itself as a family, facing upheavals like the 1936 abdication crisis, and the divorce and death of Princess Diana, increasingly as openly as possible. Queen Elizabeth’s long and dutiful reign, embellished by her obvious decency and popularity, ensured the monarchy long remained as a broadly accepted and widely admired institution, committed to public

Queen Elizabeth 11

service, with an array of Royals appearing regularly and happily with her on the Balcony, ready to launch ships, open housing estates and grace theatrical and musical events. But Andrew’s firm friendship with Epstein, in full swing by 1999, meant that after his divorce, and the loss of his palatial home, he happily accepted Epstein’s tempting offers of lucrative contacts, an array of women and sexual opportunities, with more than one allegation that Epstein ‘sent over’ a young woman for sex with Andrew. Furthermore, there was money to pay his ex-wife’s seemingly endless debts, for Andrew and Sarah, post-divorce, remained firm friends. It has also been alleged that Jeffrey Epstein plotted to secure £1m in cash for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as part of a lucrative business deal with an American investment giant.

A younger Andrew with 17 year old Virginia Giuffre and
Ghislaine Maxwell in attendance.
The small photo shows Andrew esconced across the laps
of several anonymous young women.

Today, 20/02/26, Andrew has been released after 11 hours in custody, while further investigations continue; apparently the first Royal to be arrested since 1647 when Charles 1 was sent to the Tower and began his two year journey to the scaffold. Certainly today, the detention of the King's brother is about "as critical an event as the institution could have to face"

 Perhaps surprisingly, given Epstein's conviction for paedophilia, the present investigations do not appear to include enquiries into sex with underage girls, despite earlier accusations by Virginia Giuffre that she had been trafficked to London specifically for Andrew with whom she had had sex three times when she was 17. Giuffre was awarded reputedly £12 million after her legal pursuit of Andrew for underage sex and it is understood that the money, far beyond Andrew's financial capacity, was privately funded by Queen Elizabeth. She also, significantly, chose to walk with Andrew when she attended the remembrance service for Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey in 2022 when his reputation was already in tatters. These examples tend to give credence to rumours that Andrew was always the Queen's favourite child who may have indulged his behaviour. 

Mountbatten-Windsor driven away after being in police
custody for 11 hours.

There is much publicity today featuring a paparazzi shot of Andrew being driven away looking exhausted, dazed and bewildered in the back seat of a police car.[20/02/2026] It is possibly the face of a man unused to facing up to the consequences of his own errant behaviour. Media discussion currently features the Royal line of succession and Buckingham Palace has indicated it will not oppose plans to remove Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the Royal line of succession where he remains eighth in line to succeed the King, despite having been stripped of all his Royal titles and relieved of any official duties. Royal sources indicated on Saturday, Feb 21st, that King Charles specifically would not stand in the way of Parliament if it wanted to ensure the former prince could never be in line, however remote the chance, to ascend the throne.