King Charles III is having quite a Thursday. Following reports of his younger brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest in Sandringham this morning for the offense of misconduct in public office, which may have arisen from his suspected ties to Jeffrey Epstein during his time working with the U.K. government, King Charles III made an appearance at London Fashion Week, sitting front row at Tolu Coker’s runway show this afternoon.
Earlier in the day, King Charles shared a statement about Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest. “I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office. What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities. In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and cooperation. Let me state clearly: the law must take its course. As this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter. Meanwhile, my family and I will continue in our duty and service to you all.”
And continue his duty he did.
Coker’s presentation was the inaugural show of the Fall/Winter 2026 edition of London Fashion Week. Prior to taking his seat front row alongside Laura Weir, CEO of
the British Fashion Council, the King toured a series of exhibitions, including one by Stella McCartney, another by Brand63Africa, which connects designers of African heritage with international markets, and a third by the King’s Foundation. Coker is a British-Nigerian designer who was a beneficiary from the King’s Trust when it was known as Prince’s Trust, which makes the King’s appearance at her show not necessarily a surprise.
King Charles is also famously interested in climate issues, an alignment he shares with Coker, who is known for her sustainable and craft-first approach to fashion. A graduate of Central Saint Martins, Coker draws inspiration from her own heritage as both a Londoner and as part of the African diaspora.
There has also been renewed interest in London Fashion Week, as Weir starts to enact her plans for a new and improved showcase. That King Charles decided to make an appearance today speaks to both the British Fashion Council’s ambitions to elevate its biannual event and to the monarch’s own interest in fashion.
The late Queen Elizabeth II did not engage with fashion too closely, appearing at fashion week most recently, and most famously, in 2018 to present Richard Quinn with the inaugural Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design. King Charles presented the award to Foday Dumbuya of Labrum London in May 2023, and launched the now defunct menswear edition of London Fashion Week in June 2012.
It is presumably a coincidence that the news of the former prince’s arrest came hours prior to King Charles’s appearance. Of course, to borrow a line from The Crown, “the crown must always win,” as evidenced by the monarch’s unwavering commitment to showing up. Yet one cannot help but see how the British monarchy would benefit from this very prompt follow-up headline. Just hours after his statement about his brother’s arrest, King Charles flipped the script.