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What is Republic, the anti-monarchy group claiming credit for the former Prince Andrew's arrest?
On Thursday, British police arrested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor , formerly Prince Andrew, on suspicion of misconduct in public office, after accusations that he shared confidential information with Jeffrey Epstein while serving as a British trade envoy.
The arrest is a historic moment for the Royal Family — the last time a senior member was arrested was in 1647 — and the latest blow for a monarchy under siege. Here’s what to know.
Did the King know about the arrest?He did not. Andrew’s brother, King Charles III, confirmed the arrest in a statement. But a spokesman for the King said Buckingham Palace was not informed of the arrest before it took place.
“I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office,” the statement reads. “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.”
What role did anti-monarchists have?The anti-monarchy group Republic has claimed responsibility for the arrest, citing a report it sent to Thames Valley Police on Feb. 9.
“Make no mistake, this is a result of Republic’s action,” CEO Graham Smith wrote in a press release on Thursday. “We reported Andrew to the police when others were unwilling to act. Republic has been instigating a private prosecution when the police were reluctant to investigate.”
He added: “Republic’s lawyers will continue to investigate related alleged offences and provide information to the police over the coming weeks and months. There is reason to believe that in relation to some offences other senior royals may be material witnesses and may have also committed offences.”
Who is Smith and what is Republic?Republic is a British group that advocates abolishing the monarchy. Originally created in 1983 , it became more organized in the early 2000s, and in 2013 claimed a spike in supporters to 30,000 when Prince William’s wedding was announced.
Smith, the group’s CEO, has been a thorn in the side of the Royal Family for decades. In 2008 he penned an op-ed for Britain’s Guardian newspaper under the headline: “Don’t be a meddling monarch, Charles.”
It suggested that then-Prince Charles craved more power than Queen Elizabeth II as monarch. Smith wrote: “If the Prince of Wales wants political influence and power, he should relinquish the throne and run for president.”
In 2021, when Virginia Giuffre filed a civil suit against Andrew for sexual assault, alleging she had been sex-trafficked by Epstein, Republic erected anti-monarchy billboards across the U.K.
“Secretive. Divisive. Undemocratic. Abolish the monarchy,” read some, while others featured pictures of Andrew and the caption: “Wanted: a democratic alternative to the monarchy,” and “No one is above the law.”
In 2022 Andrew paid Giuffre an undisclosed sum to settle the suit, but denied any wrongdoing. Giuffre died by suicide last year.
Is Republic as powerful as it claims?Randall Hansen, a University of Toronto professor and an expert on the Royal Family, said the group and others like it “have helped keep this in the news, but they’re not driving it. It’s a much broader public reaction.”
He added: “These are very, very serious charges within the U.K., and public opinion has been repulsed by what they’ve learned about Andrew.”
But Hansen added that there is a large number of silent supporters of the Royal Family; “all the monarchists out there who aren’t saying anything.”
A 2024 poll found that support for the institution of the monarchy had fallen over the decades, but that support for outright abolition stood at 15 per cent — a huge difference from the three per cent figure in 1983, but still a small minority.
“I’d be very surprised if we didn’t see an increase in Republican support within the United Kingdom,” said Hansen. “But I think there’s very little chance that this would transform the country into a Republic. I mean, almost zero chance. I think what we will see is a reformed monarchy that looks a little bit less like the British monarchy and a little bit more like the Swedish or Danish one.”
Jeffrey Dvorkin, former director of the journalism program at the University of Toronto, sounded a similar note, suggesting that Republic was “taking advantage of a decline in popularity of the Royal Family,” but that as to it leading to the end of the monarchy: “I kind of doubt it, because deep down the Brits are very monarchical. It won’t affect their loyalty to Charles.”
However, both experts agreed that further revelations, or a scandal directly involving the King, could change that. Or as Smith told the Daily Telegraph last week: “The truth is that if one email comes out suggesting William and Charles were fully aware of what was happening 15 years ago, then it is game over.”
Who was the last senior royal to be arrested?During the English Civil War (1642-1651), King Charles I was arrested by the parliamentary forces of Oliver Cromwell. He was then tried, convicted of high treason, and beheaded in 1649.
No other high-ranking royal has since been arrested. The nearest in modern times was in 2002, when Princess Anne, sister to Charles and Andrew, was fined in 2002 after her dog bit two children.
The BBC reported that penalties for the offence can include a 5,000-pound fine, six months imprisonment and the animal being destroyed. However, Anne was not arrested nor was the dog destroyed. Anne was fined 500 pounds plus 148 pounds in court costs.
“The case is the first time a senior member of the Royal Family has been convicted of a criminal offence, and no other senior royal has attended court for 100 years,” the BBC said at the time.
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