History of legal cases against royal family members: Can King Charles be arrested? Former Prince Andrew is the first to…

In modern times, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is the first senior member of the British royal family to be arrested. The former prince was arrested on his 66th birthday, 19 February 2026.

Before this, no senior member of the British royal family had been arrested in modern history. Before this, King Charles I was taken into custody in 1647 during the English Civil War.

After losing control in the Civil War, King Charles I surrendered to the Scots in 1646 after escaping from Oxford. He hoped they would support him, but they handed him over to the English Parliament in return for unpaid money.

In 1647, he was kept at Hampton Court Palace. But, he later escaped with help from supporters. King Charles I was soon captured again and imprisoned at Carisbrooke Castle on the Isle of Wight.

He was treated well there and secretly planned another uprising. His actions led to the Second Civil War. In January 1649, he was tried for treason in Westminster Hall and found guilty. He was executed in Whitehall.

Princess Anne

Princess Anne was involved in a legal case in 2002, according to The Guardian. Andrew’s sister was convicted and fined under the Dangerous Dogs Act. It was after her dog had bitten two children in Windsor Great Park. Princess Anne was, however, not arrested.

Princess Anne also has multiple speeding convictions. She was fined £400 in 2001 for driving 93 mph. She wasn’t arrested that time either.

Other royals

Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II’s husband, was involved in a car crash near the Sandringham estate in 2009. The Duke of Edinburgh was investigated by police but was not arrested or charged. He voluntarily surrendered his driving licence.

Zara Tindall, daughter of Princess Anne, was banned from driving for six months in January 2020. It was after she collected too many penalty points on her licence.

In November 2019, she was caught speeding at 91 mph in a 70 mph zone on the A417 in Gloucestershire. The offence added four points to her existing nine, bringing the total to 13. The limit for an automatic driving ban under UK law is 12.

Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court also fined her about £817, including costs and a victim surcharge. Interestingly, her violation happened on the road where Princess Anne was caught in 2001.

Can King Charles be arrested?

In 2021, Prince Charles was reportedly interviewed by police in 2005 as a witness during an investigation into Princess Diana’s death. The questioning was part of a three-year probe led by former Metropolitan Police commissioner Lord Stevens.

Charles was asked about a note Diana had written, in which she claimed she feared dying in a planned car crash involving brake failure and a serious head injury. The note also mentioned rumours that Charles wanted to marry his nanny. Those claims were denied.

Now, as monarch, King Charles enjoys sovereign immunity and cannot be sued in the UK for civil or criminal matters. Queen Camila, however, doesn’t have that sovereign immunity.