LONDON: King Charles III has been left wrestling with a brand new check after the arrest of his brother Andrew, the most recent in a collection of painful private shocks to mar his reign.
“Charles has, since coming to the throne in September 2022, been battered by a succession of difficulties and crises, whether or not it is in relation to his second son, Harry … his health, the health of Catherine, or the very disruptive determine of Andrew,” royal commentator Ed Owens advised AFP.
After a long time ready within the wings, Charles turned king in September 2022 on the loss of life of his mom, Queen Elizabeth II, who had reigned for 70 years and commanded deep public affection and respect.
His coronation on Could 6, 2023, was wealthy in pageantry, projecting continuity and custom.
But hassle stirred even earlier than the crown was positioned on his head.
In January 2023, his youngest son, Harry, launched his explosive memoir “Spare”, launching repeated assaults on the royal household and airing personal disputes lapped up by a worldwide viewers.
Residing in California together with his spouse Meghan since 2020, and estranged from his household, Harry has been accused by critics of damaging, for private and industrial achieve, an establishment lengthy seen as unshakeable.
Although Harry has since sought reconciliation, the rift stays.
Then, in February 2024, Charles, now 77, revealed he was present process remedy for most cancers, with out disclosing the sort, forcing him to reduce public duties.
Weeks later got here one other blow: Catherine, Princess of Wales and spouse of inheritor obvious William, introduced she too was being handled for most cancers.
Whereas Catherine has since mentioned she is in remission and Charles indicated in December that his remedy was being eased, sickness has forged a protracted shadow over the royal family.
The king has received admiration for his dignified, touching battle towards most cancers, speaking about his shock at studying his prognosis, and making a degree of publicly visiting sufferers, urging prevention and early detection.
However arguably the gravest risk to his reign has come from his youthful brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, as he’s now identified, who remains eighth in line to the throne.
Royal historian Andrew Lownie advised AFP that it was “a crunch level” for the monarchy.
Whether it is discovered that “they’ve been abetting him, enabling him, defending him, then I feel Charles must stand apart,” he mentioned.
The long-standing ties between the deeply unpopular Mountbatten-Windor to late convicted American intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein have brought on years of embarrassment.
{A photograph} printed in 2011 exhibiting the previous prince together with his arm across the waist of Virginia Giuffre, Epstein’s most important accuser, proved particularly damaging.
