A closer look at his fallout with Harry and Meghan – Firstpost

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, was arrested by UK authorities on February 19, 2026, as part of an ongoing investigation linked to newly surfaced evidence in the expanding Jeffrey Epstein case files. The development marks one of the most serious legal escalations yet in the years-long scrutiny surrounding Andrew’s ties to the late financier and convicted sex offender.

The arrest has reignited public and media attention not only on Andrew’s controversial past but also on his strained relationship with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, a dynamic shaped by deep personal, institutional and ethical divides.

How
Harry and Meghan distanced themselves

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s departure from royal duties in 2020 stemmed from a complex mix of institutional tensions, personal well-being concerns, and differing views on accountability and reform within the monarchy.

While
Harry has not particularly singled out Andrew in detail, multiple interviews and published accounts have made it clear that unresolved controversies within the royal family deeply affected the couple’s trust in royal systems. Meghan’s emphasis on transparency, responsibility, and ethical leadership further highlighted philosophical differences with how the institution handled legacy scandals.

Sources close to the Sussexes have long suggested that Andrew’s continued presence within royal spaces, despite serious allegations, contributed to their broader discomfort and sense of alienation.

In his memoir  Spare, Prince Harry spoke about how Andrew continued to receive taxpayer-funded security even after he was accused of sexually assaulting a young woman. He drew a sharp contrast with how he and his wife Meghan were treated when they decided to step down as senior members of the royal family, with their security pulled and address in Canada made public.  

The excerpt read:

Meg asked me one night: You don’t think they’d ever pull our security, do you?

Never. Not in this climate of hate. And not after what happened to my mother.

Also, not in the wake of my Uncle Andrew. He was embroiled in a shameful scandal, accused of the sexual assault of a young woman, and no one had so much as suggested that he lose his security. Whatever grievances people had against us, sex crimes weren’t on the list.

In fact, a source quoted by Heatworld recently said, “Meghan and Harry have long felt the royals have used them as scapegoats to distract from much more damaging issues, like Andrew and his ties to Epstein. It was always hard for them to understand how that could just be swept under the rug and ignored while they were being crucified over so much less. So, to have Andrew finally facing some consequences has got to feel vindicating for them.”

Why Andrew’s Epstein ties remained a lasting shadow

Harry was referencing
allegations made by Virginia Giuffre, who in 2014 said she had been exploited by Jeffrey Epstein and compelled to engage in sexual encounters with Andrew on three occasions. Giuffre claimed that these incidents took place in the early 2000s, when she was 17.

A civil case later brought by Giuffre against Andrew was resolved through an out-of-court settlement in February 2022 for an undisclosed amount. The agreement was reached without any admission of wrongdoing by Andrew.

Andrew’s association with
Jeffrey Epstein first became publicly controversial in 2010, when photographs and testimonies surfaced placing them together even after Epstein’s conviction. The fallout intensified in 2019 following Andrew’s widely criticised BBC Newsnight interview, after which he
withdrew from public royal duties.

Since then, multiple civil and investigative efforts have examined his connections, culminating in the recent arrest following new evidentiary material reportedly uncovered during transnational document reviews tied to Epstein’s financial and travel networks.