00:00Questions about the monarchy and accountability are in focus after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in
00:08public office.
00:09Police say he's been released under investigation. He denies roomdoing.
00:13With MPs seeking the release of papers linked to his former role as trade envoy and ministers not ruling out
00:19changes to the line of succession, we look at what could happen next.
00:23Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, what can we say that hasn't been said umpteen times in recent weeks, months, and indeed years.
00:31This is a man who was at one point a prince, second in line to the throne until Prince Charles
00:38had children and of course we know he has also had children so of course he's fallen away in favour.
00:44And indeed that's one of the sort of stories, should he sort of maintain that right to sort of, you
00:48know, if there was some sort of incredible disaster, he could technically become king, although it's highly unlikely.
00:54It's a massive fall from grace for a man who sort of enjoyed immense privilege.
00:59Indeed he is sort of the archetypal heir and the spare, and he is the sort of spare as it
01:05were, who has lived a life of decadence, indulgence.
01:10He was, of course, we should remember a so-called hero when he sort of fought in the Falcon's War
01:16as a helicopter pilot way back in the sort of the early 80s.
01:20But of course what has been his undoing is not just the sort of the sense of sort of entitlement
01:26and rudeness that he's famed for, a bit like his, I suppose it would be his aunt, Princess Margaret.
01:34It's the sort of the connection with a certain sort of Jeffrey Epstein who is accounting for a lot of
01:39sort of so-called victims, although these are different victims to those who of course were sort of exposed to
01:45his hideous sex crimes,
01:46which of course he will not have to serve any time for because of course he took his own life.
01:51But Andrew is a sort of part of this and enjoyed the sort of the sense of the sort of
01:56the immense money that this man had.
01:58But of course nothing has been proven.
02:01There are lots of allegations and his arrest was only because of course their emails pertains to the fact that
02:07he was privileged to sort of secrets.
02:09Police are investigating alleged misconduct in public office linked to claims that confidential government information was shared during Andrew Mountbatten
02:18-Windsor's time as a trade envoy.
02:19He was arrested, questioned and then released under investigation and he denies all allegations.
02:25In Parliament, MPs have backed steps to published documents connected to his appointment and work in that role,
02:31though some material could be delayed while the investigation continues.
02:34Any move to remove him from the line of succession would need changes to the law and agreement across the
02:40Commonwealth realms where the King is head of state.
02:42The estrangement and sort of banishment is already underway.
02:46I think it'll get worse if he's ever goes to court, which of course will produce this immense amount of
02:52sort of head scratching as to sort of what to do with him.
02:55You know, do they send this man to prison?
02:57The last member of the royal family who was arrested was a certain Prince Charles I who lost his head.
03:02Well, Andrew won't lose his head.
03:03He might lose his liberty, but I suspect there'll probably be some compromise.
03:07I'm sure that the royal family in general would like Prince Andrew, I shouldn't say Prince Andrew, of course he's
03:13a former Prince Andrew, but Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to sort of go away and never be heard of again.
03:18But I suspect we're going to probably hear an awful lot more in coming weeks and months.
03:23And particularly if there's a trial, that will be something to behold.
03:25It's set back the royal family in a way which perhaps it may never recover from, but if I can
03:34say anything about the royal family, it's proven itself adept in the past at sort of reinventing itself.
03:40And indeed, the sort of view is that Prince Charles is the last vestige of the sort of the current
03:46way of doing things in the royal family.
03:48And Prince William, when eventually he does become king, will take a very different approach in a very much more
03:53modern way, if you like, of sort of dealing with the public.
03:56Well, for now, the police investigation continues and there have been no charges.
04:00Ministers say they're not ruling out further action, but any change to succession rules would be a significant legal step.
04:07Next, attention is on what documents are released and whether Parliament moves from debate to legislation.
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