The message was very clear. The attendance of the Prince and Princess of Wales at the BAFTA awards – their first joint appearance at the glitzy event in three years – let people know the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor might have rocked the royal family to its very core, but they will keep calm and carry on.
William and Catherine were just a few kilometres away at Anmer Hall when police swooped on Andrew’s home on the Sandringham estate. As officers read him his rights, the couple was preparing for the day with their children, who were on their half-term break.
Like the rest of the family, the Waleses were knocked for six by news of Andrew’s arrest. But their red-carpet outing just three days after William’s uncle was taken in for questioning on suspicion of misconduct while in public office showed their determination to put duty at the forefront.
They were following through on a promise made by the King a few hours after his disgraced brother was taken into custody. In a quickly issued statement, Charles, 77, said the royals would “continue in our duty and service to you all”.
Still, it’s not enough to just get on with the job while a crisis that could undermine the whole monarchy unfolds, point out some royal commentators. With the stakes never higher, future monarch William needs to be seen taking decisive action to ensure his uncle, who vehemently denies any wrongdoing, is held accountable.
The fallout falls on William
Palace insiders say that as the scandal resulting from Andrew’s association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein deepens, it will be William who bears the brunt of making sure his uncle does not bring down the royal family.
“The prince knows his father’s reign will be forever soiled by the institution’s response to – and fallout from – the Andrew affair,” says royal expert Richard Kay.
“There’s a view that the slate can never entirely be wiped clean until there’s change at the top. In other words, when William – along with Catherine – take the throne.”
William’s resolve
William, 43, is tough enough to do whatever it takes to preserve the monarchy, says the longtime royal correspondent.
“He can be fiery,” points out Richard. That, coupled with his disdain for his uncle – his discomfort was obvious when Andrew, 66, tried talking to him last year after the funeral for the Duchess of Kent – means he won’t hesitate when it comes to taking further action against Andrew, if needed.
The King vs. William
“The King tends to simmer down and forget whatever enraged him, quickly apologises and moves on,” tells Richard.
“William is different. He doesn’t have as forgiving an attitude.”
PR expert and crisis consultant Mark Borkowski says William and Catherine, 44, have to figure out how to preserve the integrity of the royal family amid talk of the end of the monarchy as we know it.
“The pressure to communicate what the royal family is going to be over the next 50 years falls squarely on William’s shoulders,” explains Mark.
Walking a tightrope
“They may have to open themselves and the monarchy up to greater scrutiny as long-held attitudes to the royal family die out.”
That means making sure they don’t put a foot wrong because the monarchy could crumble if they do. The statement issued by the pair after the release of some of the Epstein files – and before Andrew’s arrest – was seen by many as too little, too late. A Kensington Palace spokesperson confirmed the prince and princess were “deeply concerned by the revelations” about Epstein, and “their thoughts remained focused on the victims”.
First public comments
It was the first time they’d publicly shared their thoughts on the scandal, but many people think they should address what’s going on in greater depth. The same is being said for the King. There has been praise for the way Charles initially responded to Andrew’s arrest, with his statement offering his “full and wholehearted support and cooperation” to those investigating his brother.
But many people, believe Charles should do a TV address like the one the late Queen Elizabeth II gave to do damage control after the death of Princess Diana. Meanwhile, the King should brace for a public outcry if it’s found he knew about Andrew’s offending but didn’t do anything.
Risk of a constitutional crisis
“That could cause a constitutional crisis,” warns Dai Davies, who was the head of Scotland Yard’s Royal Protection Command in the 1990s. Charles could suffer a massively damaging backlash “if there’s evidence to show he was aware, going back months if not years, of the severity [of what Andrew has done] and they’ve tried to deal with it in their own way. This is huge in magnitude”.
