King Charles, Queen Camilla, and Princess Anne Put on a United Front Days After Former Prince Andrew’s Arrest

The British royals gathered in London for a special awards ceremony.

he British royal family put on their most united showing yet in the days following the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on suspicion of misconduct in public office. King Charles was joined by Queen Camilla, Princess Anne, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester at St. James’s Palace in London on Tuesday for a ceremony and reception for the Queen Elizabeth Prizes for Education. Palace officials said Prince Edward had been scheduled to attend but withdrew because of illness.

AARON CHOWN//Getty Images
The King and Queen at St. James’s Palace during the ceremony.

The ceremony recognized 19 universities and colleges for innovation and excellence across a range of fields, including research into Paralympic performance, sustainability initiatives in the textile industry and programs expanding access to higher education in prisons. The awards are part of the Queen Elizabeth Prizes for Higher and Further Education, national honors first awarded in 1994 and handed out every two years thereafter on the advice of the British prime minister after a review process managed by the Royal Anniversary Trust, an independent charity.

The Princess Royal attended in her role as chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, which received an award for research and education through its Centre for Fire Safety Engineering. She arrived wearing her chancellor’s robes and later changed before greeting recipients in her capacity as a working royal. The King presented the winners with silver gilt medallions bearing the cypher of the late Queen Elizabeth II. Afterward, the royals met with recipients at a reception to learn more about their projects.

AARON CHOWN//Getty Images
The King mingles during the reception.

AARON CHOWN//Getty Images
The Princess Royal meets representatives from Loughborough University during the reception.

It was the most united showing yet of senior working royals in the wake of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s February 19 arrest. The former prince has always denied any wrongdoing, and was released after nearly 11 hours in custody. In an unprecedented statement issued after the arrest, Charles said that he had the “deepest concern” about the matter, and that “the law must take its course.” The King concluded the note, “Meanwhile, my family and I will continue in our duty and service to you all.”