Here’s how sovereign immunity really works, as ex-Prince Andrew arrested for misconduct

Ex-Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has officially been arrested for suspicion of misconduct in public office, so here’s how sovereign immunity actually works.

There are lots of myths about sovereign immunity

Sovereign immunity has been a term used in British law for hundreds of years, and is based on the common law statement that The Sovereign can do no wrong.” It basically means that no sovereign leader can be arrested, tried, or prosecuted in UK courts, and that criminal proceedings can’t be brought against them.

via Canva

However, contrary to popular belief, sovereign immunity applies only to the reigning monarch at the time. So, since King Charles II is our current monarch, he’s the only one protected by this law. Every other Royal Family member can be convicted of a crime, and they deal with the same legal proceedings as the rest of us ordinary people.

On sovereign immunity, the official Royal Family website says: “While no longer administering justice in a practical way, the Sovereign today still retains an important symbolic role as the figure in whose name justice is carried out, and law and order is maintained.”

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The statement continues: “Although civil and criminal proceedings cannot be taken against the Sovereign as a person under UK law, the Monarch is careful to ensure that all their activities in a personal capacity are carried out in strict accordance with the law.”

One Royal Family member has been convicted of a crime before

Back in 2002, Princess Anne, the sister of King Charles II, became the first Royal ever to be convicted of a crime. She was charged under the Dangerous Dogs Act as her bull terrier bit two children on a dog walk, and had to pay a fine of £500, according to reports at the time.

But aside from that one incident, no member of the British Royal Family has ever been convicted of a crime, and none have ever spent time in prison.  Andrew was stripped of his royal status by King Charles II at the end of 2025, but he was never formally disowned, so he is still a member of the Royal Family by birth.

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Featured image via NEIL HALL/EPA/Shutterstock