Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, was arrested on the morning of his 66th birthday earlier this week. The Met Police had been investigating claims that his royal protection officers had been ‘turning a blind eye’ during visits to Epstein’s Island. What a way to celebrate another trip around the sun!

The former prince was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, as police seem to have reason to believe that Andrew shared private and sensitive information with Jeffrey Epstein whilst he served as UK’s trade envoy during his well-documented visits to Little St James, Epstein’s now infamous island, in the early 2000s. Victims have since spoken up, claiming that this arrest ‘is only just the beginning’.

No member of the royal family has been arrested or taken into custody in around 400 years. That arrest being in 1641, when Charles I was charged with treason during the English Civil War and sentenced to death. The current King Charles was keen to reassure his loyal and disloyal subjects alike that ‘the law must take its course’, thus distancing himself from his younger brothers' activities and clarifying that the Crown will not use its influence to hinder the investigation.

The arrest itself is now known to have been a high-profile operation, with the officers who conducted the arrest not knowing where they would be going or what they would be doing that morning. A high-ranking officer would have had to apply for a search warrant and stand before a judge to persuade them of the necessity of raiding Andrew’s former home, both the Royal Lodge and his current palatial gaff, Wood Farm. Only if the judge was presented with substantial evidence to support the allegation that Andrew had been sharing information with Jeffrey Epstein would the arrest warrant be granted.

The Thames Valley Police travelled over 120 miles to Andrew’s properties from their headquarters in Oxfordshire and arrived with a large police convoy. The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, was notified of the arrest before the former prince was taken into custody, and neither King Charles nor Buckingham Palace was alerted that this would happen.

Andrew was released later that day, just in time to blow out his candles.

So, what’s next for Andrew? The police have been keeping a tight lid on this operation but as of now, he is free to go about his daily life.

Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing over his association with Epstein.