Royal Family Reportedly Fears Ex-Prince Andrew Could Reveal Secrets

With fears that the former Duke of York could expose secrets and police searches ongoing, the monarchy now faces what one commentator calls its biggest crisis in years.

The Royal Family was reportedly left scrambling after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on Thursday morning, February 19, 2026, on suspicion of misconduct in public office — a move that one royal commentator claimed landed without warning and triggered fresh fears about what the disgraced figure might say next.

Former royal photographer Ian Pelham Turner said the arrest came as a surprise to the palace. "None of the Royal Family, including King Charles and Prince William, were informed beforehand that the arrest was going to take place," he alleged.

He further framed the moment as a shock not only because of the optics, but because of what could follow once investigators and lawyers begin pulling at threads. Behind the scenes, the photographer suggested the mood had turned to panic, warning:

"I am sure nerves will be on frantic keel behind the scenes with the Royal Family concerned about what explosive details may come out."

In his telling, the anxiety was not simply about the arrest itself, but about the unpredictable consequences of a process that is now in the hands of police and prosecutors.

He went further, claiming a "war room" response may have been put in place at Windsor, with current and former advisers brought in to help the institution navigate the fast-moving crisis.

The royal photographer also suggested both the King and the Prince of Wales would reject any suggestion of "predetermined involvement" in how the arrest unfolded, signalling a determination at the top of the monarchy to keep clear separation from the case.

Publicly, His Majesty moved quickly to create distance while backing the investigation. In a statement, he said, "I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office."

He added, "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."

He further warned that the Royal Family could be concerned he might "reveal secrets about the Firm in a bid to alleviate any potential sentencing by a court appearance."

His Majesty pledged his "full and wholehearted support and co-operation," placing emphasis on due process and the role of the authorities rather than any internal handling.

The photographer characterised that approach as a signal — calling it "the Royal Family showing the iron fist in the velvet glove" — while insisting the reputational damage could still be immense.

"This is the biggest crisis facing Buckingham Place and the Royal Family," he reported, describing how global media pressure intensified around the palace, including the King being hurried along by security during public-facing moments.

However, the most combustible claim centred on what the crisis might provoke from Mountbatten-Windsor himself. The royal photographer said the former Duke of York had been labelled a "blabbermouth" by his police protection detail.

He further warned that the Royal Family could be concerned he might "reveal secrets about the Firm in a bid to alleviate any potential sentencing by a court appearance."

The senior lecturer also underlined the threshold prosecutors would need to meet for misconduct in public office, describing it as a high bar.

In the royal insider's view, that prospect — whether realistic or not — was enough to deepen alarm, because it introduces a second narrative running alongside the investigation: not only what police may uncover, but what Mountbatten-Windsor might volunteer if he believes it helps him.

Against that backdrop of private anxiety and mounting speculation, authorities moved to formalise the public record. By Thursday evening, Thames Valley Police had issued an update.

They confirmed that a man in his 60s from Norfolk had been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office and had since been released under investigation.

The force said searches in Norfolk had concluded, while searches in Berkshire were continuing, adding that it would make no further comment at this time. Even so, legal experts cautioned that an arrest does not automatically mean charges will follow.

Dr. Tom Frost, a senior lecturer in law at Loughborough University, revealed that an arrest allows police to question a suspect under caution and to search properties for evidence connected to an investigation.

The senior lecturer also underlined the threshold prosecutors would need to meet for misconduct in public office, describing it as a high bar. He said:

"An 'abuse of the public's trust' is a high bar and is not defined. Misconduct alone is not enough. The misconduct must be so bad that a jury concludes it is an abuse of the public's trust."

The explanation points to a long road between arrest and any courtroom outcome, and underscores why investigators' next steps, including searches and evidence gathering, matter as much as the initial headline-making detention.

For the monarchy, though, the immediate challenge is less about legal timelines and more about exposure — the prospect of further disclosures, mounting scrutiny, and the risk of a crisis escalating beyond one individual.

As the royal photographer put it, "This is a major blow to the monarchy," a stark assessment that captures the precarious balance now facing the institution as the investigation continues and the public waits to see what comes out next.

Meanwhile, at the very moment the institution was grappling with that reputational fallout, attention was also turning to a development far more personal — but no less contentious.

As Mountbatten-Windsor turned 66 on February 19, 2026, the disgraced former royal quietly became eligible for a new stream of taxpayer-funded income — despite the longstanding convention that working members of the Royal Family do not claim it.

The former Duke of York is entitled to receive a £7,034 annual state pension from February 20, 2026, after reaching the official retirement age of 66. The sum equates to around £135 per week, or roughly £540 per month.

Although senior royals typically do not draw the state pension, Mountbatten-Windsor qualifies because of his 22 years of service in the Royal Navy between 1979 and 2001, during which he paid National Insurance Contributions.

When asked whether Mountbatten-Windsor should claim his state pension, Chancellor Rachel Reeves responded with an audible laugh before addressing the broader controversy.

As a result, he meets the criteria to claim the benefit. Under current rules, he would ordinarily be entitled to around £151.31 per week. However, that figure is reduced because he also receives a separate Navy pension, reportedly worth about £20,000 per year.

Turning 66 also makes Mountbatten-Windsor eligible for additional age-related benefits, including potential Council Tax reductions and a London Freedom Pass, which grants free bus and Tube travel in the capital. However, it remains unclear whether he will personally accept the pension or donate it.

His eldest brother has been eligible for the state pension for more than a decade due to his own naval service, but donates the payments to Age UK. Royal commentator Phil Dampier suggested Mountbatten-Windsor should follow a similar path, stating:

"If Andrew wants to do the right thing and take steps to improve his reputation then he would do well to donate his state pension to charity, maybe even Eugenie's charity combatting modern slavery and human trafficking The Anti-Slavery Collective."

Political Reaction and Public Backlash

When asked whether Mountbatten-Windsor should claim his state pension, Chancellor Rachel Reeves responded with an audible laugh before addressing the broader controversy. "Look, the former prince has got a lot of questions to answer on a whole range of issues," she began.

"I think he owes it to the victims of Epstein and his associates to come forward and give much more information about what he knew around the treatment of young women and girls," the Chancellor continued.

However, her initial reaction soon drew criticism online. One person typed, "Why is she even laughing ? none of these people are serious at all, she didn't even answered the question [sic]."

The former Duke of York's move to Sandringham earlier this month marked a further retreat from public life.

Another shared in part, "Okay I know she gave AN answer in the end but WHY ON EARTH is she LAUGHING? 'Huh uhhuh heehuhu' - as if this isn't a serious matter?" A third netizen commented, "What was that laugh?"

Someone else wrote, "If she can't even answer that question we've got no hope .😂" Meanwhile, questions were also raised about Mountbatten-Windsor's entitlement itself.

One person asked, "Why would a royal get a state pension…let alone a disgraced one." Another noted, "He got a naval pension & done over 22 years flying helicopters around the Falklands. Think he gets about £20,000 or possibly more a year?"

Ongoing Controversy

Mountbatten-Windsor has been living in effective exile since being stripped of his royal titles in October 2025 over his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The former Duke of York's move to Sandringham earlier this month marked a further retreat from public life.

He was reportedly relocated from Royal Lodge to Wood Farm in the middle of the night two and a half weeks ago and has not been seen publicly since.

Royal sources have insisted the move was intended to avoid burdening others. Furthermore, according to reports, his living costs are currently being covered by the King while the former prince stays at Wood Farm ahead of an anticipated move to Marsh Farm in April.

He is now also facing a police probe linked to worsening allegations referenced in the files.

Despite perceptions of royal wealth, sources have indicated that Mountbatten-Windsor is not flush with cash following his fall from grace.

Alongside his Navy pension and potential state pension, his financial situation has come under renewed scrutiny as fresh allegations have surfaced in newly released Epstein files.

Revelations contained in a recent tranche of unredacted documents included emails in which Epstein did not dispute a journalist's assertion that the then-Duke of York had sexual relations with Virginia Giuffre.

Giuffre had previously alleged she was coerced into sex with Mountbatten-Windsor in 2001, when she was 17, after being trafficked to the UK by Ghislaine Maxwell.

The former prince has consistently and vehemently denied any wrongdoing and said he did not recall meeting Giuffre, despite a widely circulated photograph showing the pair together with Maxwell.

The fallen royal subsequently agreed to pay $12 million, approximately £8.8 million, in March 2022 to settle a civil lawsuit brought by Giuffre — who sadly died by suicide in 2025 — without admitting liability. He is now also facing a police probe linked to worsening allegations referenced in the files.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's 66th birthday is not expected to be publicly marked by the Royal Family, underscoring the distance between him and the Firm as he enters retirement with a new — and contentious — income source.

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