Epstein

Prince Andrew, National Memorial Arboretum
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor at the National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas. Photo credit: Thorne1983 / Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Former Prince Andrew Faces Justice — When Will Epstein’s American Pals?

02/19/26

The arrest of disgraced British royal Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor could turn out to be a milestone in the quest for holding Jeffrey Epstein’s friends and associates to account for their crimes. 

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The arrest of the alleged child abuser formerly known as Prince Andrew on Thursday, along with the reaction of his brother, King Charles III, should have Americans scratching their heads and wondering why it is mainly foreigners who are reaching the “find out” stage of their association with Jeffrey Epstein.

And that should increase the pressure on the Department of Justice, which has been more focused on protecting the rich and powerful mentioned in the Epstein files, including Donald Trump, than holding them to account.

After all, if a British royal can lose his title and get booked in the wake of the release of those documents, then why aren’t more Americans finding themselves in hot water?

The arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, as the former prince is now known after having lost his title over the scandal, could turn out to be a watershed moment in the Epstein saga — even though he was only booked for “suspicion of misconduct in public office” and later released.

Because it demonstrates that even people at the very top of the food chain of the rich, famous, and connected are not immune from consequences.

That was made clear by his brother, King Charles III.

“I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office. What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities,” he said. “In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and cooperation. Let me state clearly: the law must take its course.”

That’s quite a contrast to DOJ… and to Trump.

Epstein’s former pal sounded a different note when he spoke to reporters on Thursday and, after falsely claiming that he himself has been “totally exonerated,” said it’s a shame that Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested.

“I think it’s very sad. I think it’s so bad for the royal family,” the president said. “It’s very, very sad to me.”

The handful of Republicans who pushed for the release of the Epstein files certainly believe that the law should also take its course stateside and not just overseas, where a former prince, a former Norwegian prime minister, a UK ambassador to the US, a French minister, the CEO of the logistics giant DP World, and the national security adviser of Slovakia’s prime minister are among the high-profile figures who lost their jobs, are being investigated, or were arrested because of their ties to the convicted sex offender.

“Prince Andrew was just arrested. This was the metric I established for success of the Epstein Files Transparency Act that [Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA)] and I got passed,” said Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY). “Now we need JUSTICE in the United States. It’s time for [Attorney General Pam Bondi] and [FBI Director Kash Patel] to act.”

We are not holding our breaths on that one, but the examples from Europe and the Middle East, as well as those of a handful of Americans in academia and the business world who are facing consequences for their actions, are proof that there can be a measure of justice for the hundreds of Epstein victims and accountability for those who were involved in his crimes.