Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the disgraced former prince, has dominated headlines recently for all the wrong reasons. Once a figure of privilege and influence, he has faced a series of scandals culminating in his arrest on 19 February, his 66th birthday, after years of legal scrutiny surrounding Virginia Giuffre’s sexual abuse lawsuit. The case accused him of being closely connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a revelation amplified by millions of files released by the U.S. Department of Justice that repeatedly placed him in Epstein’s orbit.

His arrest, stripping of royal titles, and ongoing legal battles have captured public attention, yet the former prince is far from unique in his entanglements with the law. History shows that members of royalty—from modern times to centuries past—have repeatedly found themselves at odds with legal authorities, highlighting that power, privilege, and public scrutiny often collide in ways that even crowns cannot shield against. Indeed, the link between royalty and brushes with the law stretches back hundreds of years, encompassing figures whose influence was both immense and, at times, fatal. King Charles I, for instance, faced the ultimate legal confrontation after the English Civil War, being charged with treason and tyranny in 1649.