Prince William acknowledged he was not in a “calm state” during his first public engagement since the arrest of his uncle, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, admitting the royal crisis has taken an emotional toll on the family.
The Prince of Wales made the frank remark on Sunday evening, Feb. 22, while walking the red carpet at the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) at London’s Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall with his wife, Kate Middleton.
When asked by the press if he had seen “Hamnet,” the Shakespeare-inspired film directed by Chloé Zhao, William—president of BAFTA—hinted at the strain of recent developments.
“I need to be in quite a calm state, and I am not at the moment. I will save it,” William told the Daily Mail.
Kate, Princess of Wales
The outing took place just three days after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was taken into custody on Thursday, Feb. 19—his 66th birthday—on allegations of misconduct in public office. Thames Valley Police arrested the former prince at his home on the Sandringham Estate, holding him for nearly 11 hours before releasing him pending further investigation. Searches continued at Royal Lodge and other associated residences.
Andrew’s arrest follows the release of emails by the Department of Justice tied to the Jeffrey Epstein files, which appeared to show him sharing details of official trade missions with the disgraced financier while serving as the UK’s trade envoy from 2001 to 2011.
Epstein died by apparent suicide in a Manhattan jail in 2019. Andrew, still eighth in line to the throne, became the first high-ranking British royal to be arrested and detained in modern times—a development NPR and Al Jazeera called unparalleled since the era of King Charles I nearly 400 years ago.
King Charles III, 77, released a statement voicing his “deepest concern” over his brother’s arrest while underscoring the need to let the legal system operate independently. He emphasized that “the law must take its course” and promised the palace’s “full and wholehearted support and co-operation” with investigators.
The government is now weighing whether to remove Andrew from the line of succession. Any such move would require Parliament to pass new legislation and would need approval from more than a dozen Commonwealth realms, including Australia, Canada, and Jamaica, according to reports from CNN and NPR. The most recent precedent was Edward VIII’s abdication in 1936, which allowed Queen Elizabeth II’s father to assume the throne.
Despite internal upheaval, the royal family has continued its public duties. Kate Middleton attended a Six Nations rugby match on Saturday at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham, where Ireland beat England 42–21. She appeared solo, as Prince William had recently returned from a three-day official visit to Saudi Arabia (Feb. 9–11), his first as heir to the throne, aimed at enhancing UK-Saudi trade and investment ties ahead of the nations’ centennial of diplomatic relations.
King Charles, who is undergoing cancer treatment, made a surprise appearance at the opening of London Fashion Week on Thursday at 180 Strand—the same day Andrew was arrested. He sat front row at designer Tolu Coker’s show alongside Stella McCartney and British Fashion Council CEO Laura Weir.
Body language expert Judi James analyzed the Waleses’ red carpet arrival, noting they appeared “clearly more tactile than usual.” A viral clip showed Kate playfully tapping William on the backside—a gesture James suggested served as a subtle cue between them, adding that their styling gave them “the look of an A-list power couple.”
Royal sources say William is exasperated by the scandal, calling it an ongoing issue he will likely inherit as future King. Insiders report that King Charles has been encouraged by William’s handling of the situation, especially praising how the Prince of Wales carried himself during his recent overseas trip amid the family’s turmoil.
