Prince William acknowledged he was not in a “calm state” during his first public outing following the arrest of his uncle, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, admitting the royal controversy has placed significant emotional strain on the family.
The Prince of Wales made the frank admission on Sunday evening, Feb. 22, while walking the BAFTA red carpet at London’s Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall with his wife, Kate Middleton.
Asked by reporters whether he had seen “Hamnet,” the Shakespearean film directed by Chloé Zhao, William—who serves as BAFTA president—hinted at the pressure 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 occurred only three days after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on Thursday, Feb. 19—his 66th birthday—on allegations of misconduct in public office. Thames Valley Police apprehended the former prince at his Sandringham Estate residence, detaining him for nearly 11 hours before releasing him pending further investigation. Searches also continued at Royal Lodge and additional properties.
Andrew’s arrest is linked to emails disclosed by the Department of Justice in the Jeffrey Epstein files, which appeared to show him sharing details of official trade missions with the disgraced financier during his tenure as UK 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 held in custody in modern times—an event NPR and Al Jazeera characterized as unmatched since the era of King Charles I nearly 400 years ago.
King Charles III, 77, released a statement expressing his “deepest concern” about his brother’s arrest while underscoring that the legal system must be allowed to proceed without interference. He emphasized that “the law must take its course” and promised the palace’s “full and wholehearted support and co-operation” with authorities.
The government is currently weighing whether to remove Andrew from the line of succession. Any change would require new legislation from Parliament as well as approval from more than a dozen Commonwealth realms, including Australia, Canada, and Jamaica, according to CNN and NPR. The last time a royal was removed was in 1936, when Edward VIII abdicated and Queen Elizabeth II’s father ascended the throne.
Despite the internal turmoil, 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 without Prince William, who had just returned from a three-day official visit to Saudi Arabia (Feb. 9–11), his first trip there as heir to the throne, aimed at expanding UK-Saudi trade and investment ties ahead of their upcoming centennial of diplomatic relations.
King Charles, who is undergoing cancer treatment, surprised onlookers by attending the opening of London Fashion Week on Thursday at 180 Strand—the same day Andrew was arrested. The King sat front row at British-Nigerian designer Tolu Coker’s show alongside Stella McCartney and British Fashion Council CEO Laura Weir.
Body language analyst Judi James reviewed the Waleses’ red carpet appearance, observing they appeared “clearly more tactile than usual.” A widely shared clip showed Kate giving William a playful tap on the behind—an action James interpreted as a subtle signaling cue between the pair, adding that their overall styling projected “the look of an A-list power couple.”
Royal sources say William is exasperated by the controversy, describing it as an ongoing issue he is likely to inherit fully once he becomes King. Insiders also note that King Charles has been encouraged by William’s behavior during the crisis, particularly praising how the Prince of Wales carried himself during his recent overseas trip despite the family upheaval.
