Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, is the least popular member of the British Royal Family, according to YouGov polling.
According to YouGov’s latest royal family favorability survey, conducted in early January, just 3 percent of British people have a positive view of Mountbatten-Windsor. The second least popular royal is Meghan Markle. Nineteen percent of people approve of the Duchess of Sussex.
Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on Thursday at his home in Norfolk, England, on suspicion of misconduct in public office and later released under investigation. Thames Valley Police had previously said it was assessing a complaint alleging that Mountbatten-Windsor shared confidential or sensitive government information with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during the former prince’s time as the United Kingdom’s special representative for international trade, a role he held from 2001 to 2011.
Why It Matters
While the polling was conducted prior to his arrest, it came amid continued scrutiny of his past association with Epstein, the disgraced financier who died by suicide in prison in 2019 while awaiting sex trafficking charges.
Last year, documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice related to Epstein appeared to show that Mountbatten-Windsor maintained his relationship with Epstein longer than he had previously acknowledged, leading to his being stripped of his royal titles. It was also announced that he would move out of Royal Lodge, his home in Windsor, to his brother, King Charles III’s, private estate in Norfolk.
Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest and public standing are putting continued pressure and scrutiny on the British Royal Family. Mountbatten-Windsor has always denied wrongdoing in connection with his relationship with Epstein.
What To Know
The polling, conducted by YouGov between January 8 and 9, found that 3 percent of Britons had a positive view of Mountbatten-Windsor, and 90 percent had an unfavorable view of him.
Next, 19 percent of people had a favorable view of Markle, and 31 percent had a favorable view of her husband, Prince Harry.
Other royals were regarded as more popular. Seventy-seven percent of people approve of Prince William, who is next in line to the throne, and 74 percent of people have a favorable view of his wife, Catherine, the Princess of Wales. Seventy percent of people approve of Princess Anne, King Charles’s sister, and 60 percent approve of King Charles.
Mountbatten-Windsor settled a lawsuit in New York in 2022 for an undisclosed sum brought by Virginia Giuffre, a woman who said she was trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sex with the former prince in 2001. He has always denied her allegations.
A second woman last month alleged she was sent to the U.K. by Epstein for a sexual encounter with Mountbatten-Windsor. The woman’s attorney, Brad Edwards, told the BBC the encounter occurred at Mountbatten-Windsor’s Windsor residence in 2010.
What People Are Saying
King Charles III said in a statement on Thursday: “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. In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and co-operation.
“Let me state clearly: the law must take its course.
“As this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter. Meanwhile, my family and I will continue in our duty and service to you all.”
Virginia Giuffre’s siblings said in a statement shared with CBS News on Thursday: “At last, today, our broken hearts have been lifted at the news that no one is above the law, not even royalty.”
U.S. Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, said on X: “Prince Andrew was just arrested. This was the metric I established for success of the Epstein Files Transparency Act that @RepRoKhanna and I got passed. Now we need JUSTICE in the United States.”
What Happens Next
The police investigation into Mountbatten-Windsor continues. Misconduct in public office carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, according to guidance published by the Crown Prosecution Service, which leads criminal prosecutions in England and Wales.
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