The arrest of former Prince Andrew has made headlines, marking an unprecedented moment in royal history. Yesterday, following his arrest on the morning of his 66th birthday, Andrew became the first British royal to be formally arrested in the modern era. He faces serious allegations in the UK, including suspected misconduct in public office, a charge that can carry severe penalties.
Despite the weight of the moment, Andrew is not the first member of the British royal family to have been detained. History reveals several dramatic and politically charged arrests involving monarchs and queens.
While figures such as Prince Philip, Princess Anne, and Zara Tindall have received traffic fines, true royal imprisonment dates back centuries.
King Charles I: Arrested, tried and executed
© Getty ImagesThe last reigning monarch to be detained was Charles I of England during the English Civil War.
In 1646, after fleeing the besieged city of Oxford, Charles I surrendered to the Scots, believing that they would support him and restore him to power. Instead, they handed him over to the English Parliament. Charles was held under guard at several locations, including Hampton Court Palace, from which he briefly escaped with the help of allies.
He was later imprisoned at Carisbrooke Castle, where he continued plotting a royalist uprising. His actions ultimately sparked the Second English Civil War. In January 1649, he was tried at Westminster Hall, convicted of high treason against the people of England, and executed, marking one of the most historic and shocking moments for the monarchy.
Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard: Queens executed for treason
© Getty ImagesDuring the Tudor era, two wives of Henry VIII faced arrest and execution.
Anne Boleyn, Henry’s second wife, was accused of adultery, incest with her brother, conspiracy against the king, and treason. Historians widely believe the charges were exaggerated or fabricated. Henry, desperate for a male heir, had grown frustrated after Anne gave birth to a daughter, the future Queen Elizabeth I. Anne was executed in 1536.
Catherine Howard, Henry’s fifth wife, was later arrested and executed after it emerged that she had engaged in relationships before her marriage and allegedly committed adultery as queen, acts considered high treason at the time. She was beheaded at the Tower of London in 1542.
Mary, Queen of Scots: 19 years in captivity
© Getty ImagesMary, Queen of Scots, spent nearly two decades imprisoned in England.
After being forced to abdicate the Scottish throne, Mary fled to England in 1568 seeking protection. There, she was detained by her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I, and held in various English castles for 19 years. Seen as a Catholic threat to the Protestant crown, Mary was eventually tried for plotting against Elizabeth and executed in 1587.
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