After former prince Andrew's arrest, the Royal Family tries to keep calm and carry on
CBC
The scandal surrounding Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was already seen by some as the first real royal crisis his elder brother, King Charles, has faced in these opening years of his reign.
Still, it continues to evolve, and Andrew’s arrest Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office marks just the latest unprecedented development in the unprecedented story of the former prince who also once served as a trade envoy for the United Kingdom.
“In many ways, this crisis for the Royal Family moving forward is more of a personal one than a constitutional or institutional one,” royal historian Justin Vovk said Thursday via email.
“The removal of Andrew’s titles, rank and privileges last year effectively established a firewall between Andrew and the monarchy as an institution.”
Given that there is now an ongoing police investigation — for which Charles has declared his full support — Vovk said the crisis will largely play out behind closed doors.
“This is a crisis that the family, and not the institution, will have to navigate for themselves.”
The arrest comes after the scrutiny that has surrounded Andrew's relationship with the late American convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew, who was held for nearly 12 hours before he was released under investigation later Thursday, has not been charged. He has repeatedly denied all allegations of wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.
As much as the crisis around Andrew could be a personal one for members of the Royal Family, there will be continued public scrutiny on how the institution as a whole moves forward in the shadow of the scandal.
As signalled in Charles’s message after the arrest Thursday — where he said “my family and I will continue in our duty and service to you all” — there will be an effort to show it’s royal business as usual.
“They are carrying on. There has been no announcement by the royal household, by the government, that any of their formal duties are expected to be cancelled,” said Judith Rowbotham, a social and cultural scholar and visiting research professor at the University of Plymouth in southwestern England, in an interview.
Indeed, King Charles had — at least publicly — a relatively routine day in royal terms Thursday. He met new ambassadors to the U.K. at St. James’s Palace and attended a public engagement — in this case taking a front-row seat on the opening day of London Fashion Week.
Queen Camilla was at a previously scheduled mid-day outing, where she met musicians and watched a lunchtime concert.
“The monarchy itself, the institution is keeping calm and carrying on," said Rowbotham, "and there is no sign so far of any public demand for either this current Royal Family to be evicted from their roles within the institution or of … an overwhelming public desire to see Britain become a republic."
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