'For Now A Prince. How Long Till A (Fake) King?'

"The arrest of the U.K. rapist formerly known as Prince, and the echoing, trans-Atlantic edict that no one is above the law, lay ever-barer America’s 'true exceptionalism': A culture of immunity so corrosive our own heinous, in-his-fever-dreams 'exonerated' Predator-In-Chief has enragingly yet to face any consequences for his manifold sins, crimes, cruelties and depravities, petty and profound. Finally, says Epstein survivor Maria Farmer, '(Let) all the dominoes of power and corruption begin to fall.' "

"The stunning arrest by Thames Valley Police of 'Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor' - notably, not 'His Royal Highness,' 'the Duke of York' or other niceties - on his 66th birthday was widely seen as not just an arrest but 'a transfer of power,' a possible, long- awaited shift in the tides for once-untouchable elites of the Epstein class that announces power and status may no longer keep them safe, at least outside the U.S. Shortly after 8 a.m., police arrived in six unmarked vehicles at Wood Farm on King Charles’ Sandringham Estate to haul Andrew off; they also reportedly searched his former residence near Windsor Castle. The charge, 'suspicion of misconduct in public office' - talk about your euphemisms - stems from Andrew’s term as UK trade envoy from 2001 to 2011, when he allegedly shared with Jeffrey Epstein confidential government reports on potential investment opportunities from Vietnam, Singapore, China and Afghanistan."

"The envoy gig mandates a 'duty of confidentiality'; any 'abuse of public trust' that uses public power as 'private currency for self-serving or nefarious reasons' carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. (Just imagine what they’d make of the Trump cartel’s brazen, perennial grifting.) Andrew, of course, has also been charged with raping outspoken Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide last year at 41, which led to him being stripped of his royal titles before slinking out of public view. Regrettably, he never faced a rape charge in court due to several factors - a civil settlement with Giuffre, a high bar for conviction beyond a reasonable doubt, and other legal loopholes. Presumably for some Epstein victims, bringing Andrew to even a modicum of justice on the easier-to-prove misconduct in office charge may feel dispiriting, like nabbing the murderous Al Capone for tax evasion: Better than nothing, but not good enough."

"Andrew’s was the first arrest of a senior member of the British royal family in modern history. The last one arrested was King Charles I in 1647, following his defeat in the English Civil War by Parliamentarian forces; a believer in the divine right of kings, his tyrannical reign led to his imprisonment, trial for high treason, and beheading in 1649 - the moral arc of the universe moved faster then. After Andrew’s arrest, his brother King Charles, who had received no warning beforehand, issued a statement on, not his bro but 'Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor'; he expressed 'deepest concern' but 'whole-hearted support' for the investigation: 'Let me state clearly: the law must take its course.' Others cited the same probity. Prime Minister Keir Starmer: 'No one is above the law.' The family of Virginia Giuffre: 'No one is above the law, not even royalty.' Heartbreakingly, they added, 'For survivors everywhere, Virginia did this for you.' "

Continued at link:

https://www.commondreams.org/further/for-now-a-prince-how-long-till-a-fake-king