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When King Charles III addressed the stunning arrest of his brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the monarch chose his words carefully.
But something the king said — two words in particular — raised fresh questions from Emily Maitlis, the journalist who famously confronted the former Prince Andrew about his ties to predator Jeffrey Epstein in a 2019 interview for the BBC's Newsnight.
Speaking on a recent episode of her "The News Agents" podcast, Maitlis focused on a phrase the king used in a written statement issued hours after police took the former Duke of York into custody on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
The arrest came weeks after the U.S. Justice Department publicly released emails suggesting the ex-royal had passed along sensitive government documents to Epstein while serving as a U.K. trade envoy.
What the king said
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In his official statement, Charles wrote, "I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office."
"What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities," he continued.
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"In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and cooperation. Let me state clearly: the law must take its course," he added.
"As this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter. Meanwhile, my family and I will continue in our duty and service to you all," the king concluded.
'Deepest concern'
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Maitlis debated what the monarch really meant.
"It's really interesting because I kept on going back to those words: the 'deepest concern.' And if I was opposite him now, I'd say, 'Wait, what is that concern? Who is that concern for? Are you concerned about your own brother's mental health at this point?' This perhaps implies, are you concerned that it has happened without his knowledge?" Maitlis said, as reported by Britain's Daily Express.
"I mean, the king did not know about this beforehand, but it doesn't sound as if that's what he means because he's saying he wants the 'full' and 'fair' force of the law. Are you concerned about other potential victims in this?" she mused.
The television journalist continued to attempt to interpret the monarch's expression of "deepest concern."
"I mean, I think it is a very curious phrase, that 'deepest concern,' because I'm not sure I understand who that concern is for, but I think it is important … that the king is talking as a monarch of the country about an arrest he was not pre-warned about," she said.
"He's not speaking as if it was the guy that he basically cast adrift last October," Maitlis added, referring to Charles' late-2025 decision to strip his brother of all his royal titles and honors amid renewed and growing scrutiny of the former Duke of York's Epstein ties.
The interview that changed everything
Maitlis' perspective carries unique weight given her role in one of the most dramatic chapters of the royal family's Epstein scandal.
The award-winning British journalist and broadcaster's 2019 interview with Mountbatten-Windsor marked a turning point in the controversy over his relationship with Epstein.
During the widely watched sit-down conducted inside Buckingham Palace, Maitlis questioned Queen Elizabeth II's second son about his friendship with the disgraced financier and the circumstances and timeline surrounding their association.
She also quizzed him about Virginia Giuffre, the late Epstein victim who accused Mountbatten-Windsor of assaulting her in 2001. He denied any wrongdoing and claimed he'd never met Giuffre. In 2022, however, he settled a civil lawsuit Giuffre filed against him for a reported $16 million.
In the wake of the Newsnight interview, the former Prince Andrew stepped back as a working royal and withdrew from public duties.
Six years later, in February 2026, he became the first senior royal in modern history to be arrested.
A police investigation is ongoing.