While Andrew is being questioned, his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson and daughters Bea and Eugenie must now be in a desperate state.
Fergie hasn’t been seen for weeks although there have been reports she spent time in the French Alps and then the Middle East.
I’m told by good sources that before she disappeared from Royal Lodge, Andrew’s ex-wife was confident she could rebuild her life and possibly make money from a tell-all book.
“As always she thought it was all everyone else’s fault” said one friend, adding
“However this time I think she is in denial.
“No-one will want to touch her and she must be worried she too may be arrested.
“She was close to Epstein and what did she know about the girls and the money?
“She could be an accessory to any crimes Andrew is accused of, or she could be in trouble for her own actions.”
In recent days Bea and Eugenie have also been under the spotlight.
Welcomed by the royals at Christmas, they also face questions about how they make their money, some of it from connections they were introduced to by their parents.
Emails between Fergie and Epstein show her repeatedly chasing him for money, and even asking him to give her a job or marry her!
She took her daughters to see him five days after he was released from prison for sex offences.
And she told him he had been a “Steadfast generous and supreme friend” despite saying she had cut ties.
As the fallout continues Fergie may decide her future lies abroad, possibly in the Middle East or Australia, where her sister lives.
Andrew Lownie, author of the bombshell book Entitled The Rise and Fall of the House of York says : “Multi millionaires in Dubai and Bahrain will probably be bankrolling Fergie already.
“Neither Andrew or Sarah will be socially acceptable in the UK ever again, whatever happens, but in the Middle East no-one will care what they got up to.”
If Andrew – currently eighth in line to the throne – is removed from the line of succession, surely Bea and Eugenie and their offspring will be as well.
They might even view it as a blessed release from scrutiny and pressure as a royal.
But one thing is certain.
Drastic action will be required to save the monarchy.
Charles, batting cancer, may not be up to the task.
But William will need to be ruthless and cut away chunks of dead wood before he can move forward.
