A history of run-ins

When royals fall foul of the long arm of the law

- Sinéad Campbell

Princess Anne committed her first motoring offence at the age of 21, for driving at 90mph on the M1

(GETTY IMAGES)

The news of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest this morning may have come as a surprise to many, but the British royal family has long been mired in controversy.

From illegal gambling, motoring offences and even execution, these are just a handful of the many royal run-ins with the law.

The last time a member of the British royal family was arrested was more than 350 years ago. Charles I was taken prisoner in 1647, after his defeat in the English civil war by parliamentary forces. The monarch believed in the divine right of kings and led a tyrannical reign, refusing to recognise the authority of parliament when it came to matters of governance and religious practices in England and Scotland. He was put on trial and found guilty of high treason, charges which he denied, claiming that no court had jurisdiction over the monarch’s god given power.

Charles was beheaded in 1649, the only monarch to have been formally executed by the state. His final last spoken words were “I go from a corruptible to an incorruptible crown, where no disturbance can be, no disturbance in the world.”