Queen Elizabeth Is On Everyone's Lips After Disgraced Son Andrew's Arrest (& It's Not Good)

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's birthday arrest is sending the royals scrambling to save face. Yet, there's one surprising member of the royal family who's coming under fire for her treatment of the former Prince Andrew. King Charles III has basically been giving his brother the middle finger throughout the fallout from Andrew's sexual assault allegations. But, folks online think things would be different if their mom was still the reigning monarch.

Which royal family members will suffer the most from Andrew's arrest? Believe it or not, it's Queen Elizabeth II's reputation that seems to be taking a beating. "I'm just glad [the] Queen didn't see this day. It would have broken her heart," someone wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, after Andrew was taken into custody by Thames Valley Police on February 19 for alleged misconduct in public office. Most people surely agree that she would have, in fact, been distraught to see this happen to her son. Yet, the comment section was still full of mixed feelings. "Your precious queen was complicit. She knew. Who cares about her heart," one commenter wrote. And, many others were in agreement.

"She was aware and very much covered and protected him," someone commented on the viral tweet about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. "Is that the same Queen who paid £12m to protect Andrew?" someone asked in a question echoed by many. "Unfortunately the Queen's soft spot for Andrew only made him — and everything else — worse ..." added another. A royal insider's claims to the National Examiner reflected these concerns. "The queen was always protecting [Andrew] at all costs, and it was known that he was her favorite child," they explained, adding, "She knew about everything — [Jeffrey] Epstein, the girls, the trafficking — and I believe she was just trying to help him. She just turned a blind eye to it."

Even so, some commenters came to the late queen's defense. "... she was a legend. I also hate it when people say 'she knew' no I don't think she did," one X user wrote. "After a lifetime of service and dedication, seeing some of the chaos and division today would have been heartbreaking for her. She valued dignity, unity, and responsibility, and this moment feels like the opposite of that," added another. Ultimately, Queen Elizabeth didn't live to see this fallout and respond accordingly. Interestingly, though, when he took over as king, Charles was quick to begin distancing himself and the monarchy from his brother. And, this likely speaks volumes about Elizabeth's own response.