Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
The arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has sent shockwaves around the world, but there are precedents for this event. So, what happens when royals are arrested and put in prison, what crimes were royals accused of which landed them in custody, which royals were imprisoned without being accused of wrongdoing and which royals were murdered in prison, or killed as a result of their capture?
In this English royal history documentary from History Calling, I take you through a long list of imprisoned royals in England, from the medieval period right up to today. We will look at events including the death of Richard II in prison (which was probably murder), the death of Henry VI in prison (which was probably murder), the imprisonment of the Princes in the Tower and their subsequent disappearance (probably murder in my opinion – you might be spotting a pattern here), the arrest and imprisonment of Anne Boleyn, Katherine Howard, Lady Jane Grey, who were all executed within the Tower of London, the arrest of Elizabeth I, who was a rare example of a person locked up in the Tower who wasn’t executed, the arrest and execution of Charles I, the arrest and escape of James II and many more. We will of course finish by looking at why Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested. Get comfy as we examine some of the biggest scandals in English royal history which led to members of the royal family in prison.
Fortunately for the former Prince Andrew, Duke of York, execution is off the cards, but it is a severe embarrassment for the royal family to have the King’s brother arrested and in custody for any length of time and if he is found guilty of misconduct in a public office as a result of information released in the Epstein files, or indeed of some other crime or thanks to some other evidence, there could be a lengthy prison term in his future. It is certainly a huge fall from grace for the favourite son of Elizabeth II and the brother of Charles III and arguably the biggest scandal for the British monarchy since the abdication crisis of 1936. It remains to be seen whether his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, the former Duchess of York, or his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, will be in any way implicated in his alleged wrongdoing.
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#AndrewMountbattenWindsor #PrinceAndrew #DukeOfYork
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The arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has sent shockwaves around the world, but there are precedents for this event. So, what happens when royals are arrested and put in prison, what crimes were royals accused of which landed them in custody, which royals were imprisoned without being accused of wrongdoing and which royals were murdered in prison, or killed as a result of their capture?
In this English royal history documentary from History Calling, I take you through a long list of imprisoned royals in England, from the medieval period right up to today. We will look at events including the death of Richard II in prison (which was probably murder), the death of Henry VI in prison (which was probably murder), the imprisonment of the Princes in the Tower and their subsequent disappearance (probably murder in my opinion – you might be spotting a pattern here), the arrest and imprisonment of Anne Boleyn, Katherine Howard, Lady Jane Grey, who were all executed within the Tower of London, the arrest of Elizabeth I, who was a rare example of a person locked up in the Tower who wasn’t executed, the arrest and execution of Charles I, the arrest and escape of James II and many more. We will of course finish by looking at why Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested. Get comfy as we examine some of the biggest scandals in English royal history which led to members of the royal family in prison.
Fortunately for the former Prince Andrew, Duke of York, execution is off the cards, but it is a severe embarrassment for the royal family to have the King’s brother arrested and in custody for any length of time and if he is found guilty of misconduct in a public office as a result of information released in the Epstein files, or indeed of some other crime or thanks to some other evidence, there could be a lengthy prison term in his future. It is certainly a huge fall from grace for the favourite son of Elizabeth II and the brother of Charles III and arguably the biggest scandal for the British monarchy since the abdication crisis of 1936. It remains to be seen whether his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, the former Duchess of York, or his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, will be in any way implicated in his alleged wrongdoing.
🔔 Subscribe for more royal history, timeline deep dives, and videos that uncover the real stories behind the crown.
#AndrewMountbattenWindsor #PrinceAndrew #DukeOfYork
BUY MY BOOK (Find Your Irish Ancestors Online): amzn.to/3Z2ChnG
Website (with 2 FREE DOWNLOADS): historycallingofficial.com
Patreon: patreon.com/historycalling
Amazon storefront: amazon.com/shop/historycalling
Instagram: instagram.com/historycalling
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
IS THE DUKE OF YORK THE UNLUCKIEST ROYAL TITLE?
youtu.be/5I0Alsc3A-w
BOOK REVIEW OF ‘ENTITLED’, A BIOGRAPHY OF PRINCE ANDERW AND SARAH FERGUSON BY ANDREW LOWNIE
youtu.be/cw1skxpF5fU
DEATH OF HENRY VI
HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/E_TWKPAV878
DEATH OF GEORGE, DUKE OF CLARENCE
HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/QJVECVQXIRO
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PRINCES IN THE TOWER
HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/WQ6FIE4DLTO
COULD DNA IDENTIFY THE PRINCES IN THE TOWER
HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/AWBM-T-CFQO
DIGGING UP ANNE BOLEYN AND OTHERS
youtu.be/EjCxVN7V6FA
WHAT HAPPENED TO CHARLES I’S CORPSE?
youtu.be/71HpXT1q0EU
Want to watch/hear/read more about history (and a whole host of other topics)? Then you might benefit from a free Audible or Prime video trial. They are available from the following links:
AUDIBLE
amzn.to/44MvlMi
AUDIBLE PLUS & AUDIBLE PREMIUM PLUS
amzn.to/42rh3PF
PRIME VIDEO
amzn.to/3LW7ykg
GEAR USED
Apple MacBook Pro Laptop (for video editing): amzn.to/3S6IoRK
Blue Yeti Microphone: amzn.to/3FgEDYq
Go-Pro Hero 13 camera: amzn.to/41H4Xnt
GoPro 3-Way 2.0 (Tripod/Grip/Arm): amzn.to/3vaVxjU
Memory Card: amzn.to/3KeLZZs
DJI Drone: amzn.to/39hROZm
NB: Links above may be affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a commission. It in no way affects the price you pay.
Open Street Map copyright information
openstreetmap.org/copyright
Creative Commons licenses used see creativecommons.org/licenses
