By Isabella Torregiani
12:52pm PST, Feb 20, 2026
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Aside from
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the person most upset by his arrest appears to be President
Donald Trump. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, he described the situation as "very, very sad."
Keep reading for more on the president's take… MORE:
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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was stripped of his royal titles in 2025, was arrested over alleged misconduct while serving as the U.K.'s special representative for trade and investment.
Emails released by the U.S. Department of Justice under the Epstein Files Transparency Act appeared to show him forwarding confidential U.K. trade visit reports to Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier and convicted criminal.
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Fox News' Peter Doocy questioned President Donald Trump about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's arrest, asking, "Do you think people in this country, at some point, associates of Jeffrey Epstein, will wind up in handcuffs, too?"
The president replied, "Well, you know, I'm the expert in a way because I've been totally exonerated. That's very nice. I can actually speak about it very nicely. I think it's a shame. I think it's very sad. I think it's so bad for the royal family. It's very, very sad, to me, it's a very sad thing … to see what's going on with [King Charles III's] brother, who's obviously coming to our country very soon. And he's a fantastic man, the king. So I think it's a very sad thing."
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Donald Trump — who's consistently denied allegations that he was connected to Jeffrey Epstein's illegal activities — repeated his claim that he has been "totally exonerated" of any wrongdoing.
"It's really interesting because nobody used to speak about Epstein when he was alive, but now they speak. But I'm the one that can talk about it because I've been totally exonerated," he claimed.
"I did nothing. In fact, [it was] the opposite: He was against me. He was fighting me in the election, which I just found out through the last 3 million pages of documents," he added.
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The timing of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's arrest coincides with plans for King Charles III and Queen Camilla to visit the United States — plans which may now be reconsidered after campaigners threatened to stage a "no holds barred" protest.
The royals are reportedly planning to mark the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence by meeting with President Donald Trump in April.
However, political strategist Steve Schmidt, co-founder of the pro-democracy Save America Movement, warned that the monarchs could face a "humiliating, no holds barred" onslaught upon their arrival.
"I will project images onto buildings in New York City," he said during an appearance on "The Daily Beast Podcast," adding, "I will run ad campaigns that … boggle the British imagination."
