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Back in February, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s stunned face went viral following his arrest and questioning.
Authorities have been asking for leads as they investigate him and gather evidence.
Now, police have revealed that they’re looking into a very specific report of sexual misconduct on the part of the disgraced former prince.
Not being a prince is a consequence, not a legal penalty. There is hope that Andrew could face real accountability through the justice system.
Police aren’t mincing words as they pursue new evidence
Authorities in the UK are investigating Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on allegations of sexual misconduct.
On Friday, May 22, Thames Valley police issued a press release.
According to the release, inspectors (British for detectives) are looking into an alleged incident involving a woman and the disgraced former prince in 2010.
Investigators are hoping that the woman will cooperate. They have made contact with her attorney, but have not named her publicly.
The release emphasizes that they promise to approach the investigation with “care, sensitivity, and respect for her privacy and her right for anonymity.”
It sounds like this particular woman may need considerable coaxing.
Historically, police investigations into allegations of sexual misconduct often appear to be investigations of the victim as much as the perpetrator — if not more.
(There is an entire, extremely successful television series — Law & Order: SVU — addressing these inadequacies in policing from a fictional standpoint, and it’s actually had some positive effects upon pushing for reforms, such as undoing rape kit backlogs across the nation.)
In the case of Andrew’s accusers, one can only imagine the sorts of pressures that they must have faced when accusing Queen Elizabeth’s own son of wrongdoing.
The entire world has learned so much about Andrew since then, seeing jarring photographs from the Epstein files. Hopefully, this means that women can share their horror stories without fear of reprisal.
Scandal turned into something worse months ago, when photos became public
Last year, the Epstein files began to be released.
They are still not out, as required by law, because Trump’s DOJ is in open defiance of congress.
However, not all of the predators within the released files receive the extensive redactions and protections that Trump himself did.
Andrew’s name and photos show up extensively.
One particularly damning photo shows the loathsome royal poised over an unidentified woman or girl on the floor of a room. She is lying flat, and it is unclear whether she is conscious.
There are limits to even how far being a duke and (now former) prince will protect someone from the law.
King Charles stripped Andrew of his princely title and land as the royal firm seeks to distance itself from him.
Reportedly, William and Kate loathe Andrew. Whether it’s true or simply a story circulated to disassociate them from his alleged crimes remains unknown.
Some have mistaken the stripping of his royal privileges as the same as legal consequences, as if it were the same as a prosecution, a conviction, a prison sentence.
But, just as with other powerful men who have (at most, usually) not gotten some film roles after being exposed as monsters, it is wrong to confuse people avoiding association with criminal penalties.
Social sanction is only a first step when someone is revealed to be utterly despicable. The legal process is longer and requires different types of evidence. But there is hope that Andrew could actually be held accountable.
Former Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor Under Active Investigation for Sexual Misconduct was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.