Lovely as that last sentiment is, it’s not entirely true. If the law really were enforced evenly, then I think Andrew would have found himself in legal trouble a long time ago. Nobody, not even the king, seems to be quite sure how the former prince has managed to fund his extravagant lifestyle over the years. There has long been speculation that he abused his role promoting British trade abroad for personal gain, though he denies the claims. And when the late Virginia Giuffre brought a civil case against Andrew in New York in 2021, alleging he sexually assaulted her when she was 17 (allegations he denies), he managed to get his hands on £12m (more than $16m) to settle the case with no admission of liability. The reason the disgraced royal is being investigated now isn’t because the system is seamlessly working as it should; it’s because of the release of the Epstein files after Giuffre spent years bravely telling her story and trying to get justice. And, of course, she died before justice could be delivered. No formal police investigation in the UK followed her claims.