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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the sex pest formerly known as Prince Andrew, was arrested this morning — on his birthday! — on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Andrew had previously been stripped of his titles and royal protections because of his connection to sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and now he’s facing legal consequences that years ago would have been unthinkable.
Andrew’s older brother, King Charles III, released a public statement this morning wherein he stated that he “learned with deepest concern” about his brother’s alleged crimes and that “the law must take its course.”
While some royal watchers might be stunned to see His Majesty turn his back on his brother in this way, close watchers of The Crown can’t be too surprised. Sure, the Netflix hit is a work of fiction, but it reflects the opinions, attitudes, and basic facts we have about the royal family. The Crown Season 4 painted Prince Andrew (Tom Byrne) as an icky, egotistical lecher. He was allowed to get away with a multitude of sins simply because he was Queen Elizabeth II‘s (Olivia Colman) favorite. However, The Crown‘s version of the young King Charles III, Josh O’Connor‘s Prince Charles, doesn’t let his little brother off quite so easily. In fact, one of the best scenes in all of The Crown is when Prince Charles tears Prince Andrew apart on his wedding day.
The Crown Season 4 Episode 8 “48:1” deals with Queen Elizabeth breaking with tradition and expressing (a very important!) political opinion. The Queen wants the United Kingdom to impose trade sanctions on the Commonwealth country of South Africa to send a message that they condone the hideous racism of apartheid. Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (Gillian Anderson) disagrees because it would curtail trade profits. When news of their rift hits the papers, it overshadows Prince Andrew’s wedding to Sarah Ferguson.
When Prince Charles discovers that his brother is literally whining and moping about not making the front pages, he callously says, “Oh, come on, you can hardly blame the newspapers for wanting to write about something other than the wedding of a fringe member of the family who’ll never be king.” The air leaves the room. Prince Edward (Angus Imrie) literally says, “Ouch,” and Princess Anne (Erin Doherty) looks a little shook.
Then Prince Charles doubles down. “Well, it’s true, isn’t it? Fourth in line now, and by the time William’s had children, and his children have had children…” he says. “Fringe.”
Photos: NetflixCharles then saunters off with his champagne flute, while his siblings sit with what he’s said. Andrew is absolutely horrified to have his lofty position so succinctly erased by reality. “Did he really just say that? On my wedding say?” he asks.
Edward says, in awe, “That was impressively cunty,” while Anne sips her champagne.
Yes, this entire scene came out of the imagination of The Crown‘s creator, Peter Morgan, but it feels as if it might be an accurate interpretation of what the sibling dynamics between Queen Elizabeth II’s children may actually be. After all, King Charles III really did put out a statement in support of his brother’s arrest…on his brother’s birthday.
Perhaps The Crown‘s fictional version of Prince Andrew would be comforted to know that at some point in the future he would be on the front page of every newspaper on his special day, albeit as “a fringe member of the family who will never be king.”
All six seasons of The Crown are streaming on Netflix.
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