Spiegel Stuff: How the Monarchy Can Survive the Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor Scandal

Wednesday, February 25, 2026

How the Monarchy Can Survive the Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor Scandal

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After Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's unprecedented arrest last week, the monarchy has found itself grappling with what royals historian Ed Owens calls "the biggest crisis since the abdication of Edward VIII in 1936." Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has been released under investigation since his arrest.

In a new interview with Vanity Fair royal correspondent Katie Nicholl, Owens, the author of After Elizabeth: Can the Monarchy Save Itself?, analyzes the Mountbatten-Windsor scandal, specifically how it's impacted the royal family and if King Charles will survive it.

"If the monarchy fails to seize this moment as a moment for far-reaching and positive change, then probably it deserves to fail," Owen says. "These kinds of crises have periodically erupted when the royal status quo is out of step with public opinion. The monarchy has survived past crises because it has transformed how it operates. It is clear from recent events that the British public expect much better of their monarchy."

Stateside, there's plenty more to keep your midweek blues at bay. Start with Aidan McLaughlin's dispatch on the star-spangled spectacle that was Donald Trump's State of the Union address, before impressing your Love Story–obsessed friends by sharing a primer on Kelly Klein or a look back at Grey Gardens, 50 years after its release.

MAGGIE COUGHLAN,
SENIOR EDITOR

Can the Monarchy Survive the Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor Scandal?

BY KATIE NICHOLL

In a conversation with Vanity Fair, royals historian Ed Owens dissects how the Mountbatten-Windsor scandal has impacted the royal family and what the monarchy needs to do in order to survive.

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