Has Any British Royal Ever Been Arrested? A Full History Following Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's Latest Legal Firestorm

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor marked his birthday in handcuffs.

On February 19, the U.K.'s Thames Valley Police confirmed they had "arrested a man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office." The authorities did not name the individual, but multiple news outlets later confirmed the suspect was the disgraced royal — who turned 66 on the very day of his arrest.

But before Andrew's latest legal turmoil, the royal family has long been shadowed by controversy, plagued by repeated legal troubles involving its members.

Four centuries before Andrew was marched off in cuffs, King Charles I was shackled and tried in Westminster Hall after the Royalists were defeated during the English Civil War. He was convicted of treason and tyranny before he was ultimately beheaded outside the Banqueting House in Whitehall, central London, in 1649.

Queen Victoria's eldest son, Edward VII, was questioned in court as a witness during the "salacious" trial of the royal baccarat scandal in 1890. At the time, his former close friend, Lieutenant Colonel Sir William Gordon-Cumming, was accused of cheating.

He later appeared before the High Court as a key witness for the defense, and the high-profile case ultimately left his reputation in tatters.

Princess Anne was only 21 when she was given a written warning after being caught speeding at up to 90 miles per hour on the M1 in November 1978. Five years later, she was fined at Alfreton magistrates' court for driving at 96 miles per hour in a 70 miles per hour limit in Derbyshire.

In 1990, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip's only daughter flouted road safety rules again and admitted to two speeding offences as "she had been late for an engagement," which resulted in $200 fine. More than a decade later, she was convicted of speeding in her Bentley for driving 93 miles per hour in a 70 miles per hour zone.

Then, in 2002, Princess Anne became the first member of the modern royal family to be convicted of a criminal offense when she pleaded guilty under the Dangerous Dogs Act after her then-three-year-old bull terrier named Dotty bit two children in Windsor Great Park. She was not arrested but paid around $670 in fines and $336 in compensation.

Andrew's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, and Princess Diana were arrested for dressing up as policewomen for the former Duchess of York's bachelorette party before her 1986 royal wedding.

During an appearance in a 2023 episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, Sarah revealed a waiter thought they were real police officers.

"We were put in the back of a Parks Police van and Diana then leant and ate his [the police van driver's] smoky bacon crisps," she said.

It is illegal to impersonate a police officer in the U.K. Punishable under the Police Act 1996, offenders can face up to six months' imprisonment "and/or a fine to the statutory maximum," per the Crown Prosecution Service.

In 2002, Prince Harry was questioned by Wiltshire Police following reports of underage drinking and cannabis use. While he was not arrested or charge, the then-17-year-old was sent to a drugs rehabilitation clinic a day after the incident.

"[Prince Harry] experimented with the drug on several occasions," St. James' Palace said in a statement, clarifying the royal's cannabis use was not "regular."

It added, "This is a serious matter which was resolved within the family, and is now in the past and closed."

In an interview with Daily Mail, former head of Scotland Yard John Stevens said Prince Charles — now King Charles III — was questioned by the U.K. police in 2005 over allegations he had plotted to kill Princess Diana.

Operation Paget, a three-year investigation into Princess Diana's 1997 fatal car crash, found the note the late Princess of Wales wrote in 1995, which read, "My husband is planning 'an accident' in my car, brake failure and serious head injury" so King Charles could marry Prince William and Prince Harry's nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke.

"Yes, allegations had been made about the Prince of Wales and other royals, but we had to find or examine the [existing] evidence before we approached him with formal questions," said John. "We found no other evidence to support the scenario suggested in Diana's note."

He added, "We were left with the note, which, in itself, was not enough to make Charles a formal suspect. If he chose to assist [Operation] Paget, he would be doing so voluntarily as a potential witness. We would not be interviewing him under caution."

When John asked King Charles about the note, the now-reigning monarch reportedly replied, "I did not know anything about [the note] until it was published in the media."

King Charles expressed he did not know it existed and that he had no idea his ex-wife "had these feelings."

"At the end of the day, he was incredibly cooperative because he had nothing to hide," John told the outlet.

In January 2019, Prince Philip was involved in a car crash where his Land Rover was turned on its side after colliding with another vehicle near the Sandringham estate. The accident left him unhurt, but the two women in the other car were injured and treated in hospital.

The Crown Prosecution Service declined to prosecute the then-97-year-old royal after he agreed to surrender his license.