Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s Arrest Photo Displayed at the Louvre Gallery in Paris

Move over, Mona Lisa. There was a new “masterpiece” at the Louvre this week, and it didn’t involve a cryptic smile or centuries-old oil paint. Instead, it featured a very modern, very sweaty, and very stressed-out British royal.

In a scene that felt like a crossover between The Crown and Ocean’s Eleven, a framed photograph of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (the man formerly known as Prince Andrew) was surreptitiously hung on the hallowed walls of the Louvre Museum in Paris. The image wasn’t a regal portrait; it was a gritty, high-definition “arrest photo” of the Duke leaving police custody.

Here is the deep dive into the heist, the arrest, and the absolute chaos that has the world and the internet talking.

The “Art” of the Prank

On Sunday, February 22, 2026, visitors wandering through the Louvre’s Denon wing, home to the world’s most priceless treasures, spotted something decidedly out of place. Tucked near some of history’s greatest works was a gold-framed photograph of a man slumped in the back of a Range Rover, looking like he’d just seen a ghost (or perhaps a subpoena).

The group behind the stunt? A UK-based activist collective called “Everyone Hates Elon.” Known for their anti-billionaire provocations, the group posted a video of the installation on Instagram with the cheeky caption: “They say ‘hang it in the Louvre.’ So we did.”

The “artwork” remained on display for approximately 15 minutes before museum security realized that the haggard man in the frame wasn’t a 17th-century peasant, but a 21st-century royal in serious legal hot water.

The Caption Heard ‘Round the World

Below the photo, the activists placed a professional-looking gallery plaque with the title: “He’s Sweating Now — 2026.”

The title is a savage callback to Andrew’s infamous 2019 BBC Newsnight interview. When accused by Virginia Giuffre of being “profusely sweaty” during an encounter at a London nightclub, the Duke claimed a medical condition caused by “an overdose of adrenaline” during the Falklands War had left him physically unable to sweat.

Judging by the damp forehead in the photo, the activists were keen to suggest his “medical condition” had miraculously cleared up.

The Arrest

While the Louvre stunt provided the laughs, the backstory is anything but funny. On Thursday, February 19, 2026, which, in a twist of Shakespearean irony, was also his 66th birthday, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested by British police.

He was taken into custody at 8:00 AM at his temporary residence on the King’s Sandringham estate. The charges stated were misconduct in public office.

The arrest stems from a massive dump of over 3 million documents from the Jeffrey Epstein files, released by U.S. authorities earlier this year. These files reportedly contain emails and logs from during his decade-long tenure as a UK Special Representative for International Trade (2001–2011.)

The emails reportedly suggest that Andrew may have shared confidential government trade documents with Jeffrey Epstein, used his public office to facilitate Epstein’s business interests, and leveraged his royal status to bypass diplomatic protocols for personal associates.

The investigation, led by Thames Valley Police, is focused on “Misconduct in Public Office,” a serious criminal offense that carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment in the UK.

The Viral Masterpiece

The specific image hung in the Louvre was captured by Reuters photographer Phil Noble. It was taken on the evening of February 19, just as Andrew was being released “under investigation” (RUI) after 11 hours of questioning at Aylsham police station in Norfolk.

The photo captures the exact moment the weight of the world and the law seemed to hit him. Slumped in the backseat of a dark SUV, Andrew appears wild-eyed, disheveled, and remarkably pale. It is the antithesis of the polished, royal imagery the Windsor family has spent decades cultivating.

The Royal Fallout: “The Law Must Take Its Course”

If Andrew was hoping for a rescue from Buckingham Palace, he was sorely disappointed. King Charles III issued a statement that was “stunning in its directness,” essentially cutting his brother loose. The King stated: “Let me state clearly: the law must take its course.”

This is a historic moment. Andrew is the first senior member of the British Royal Family to be arrested in over 350 years (the last being King Charles I, who… well, let’s just say his legal troubles ended much more “decisively”).

The British government is now reportedly mulling over an Act of Parliament to officially remove Andrew from the Line of Succession, where he currently sits at eighth. A recent YouGov poll shows that 82% of the British public support this move.

This isn’t just a tabloid scandal anymore; it’s a constitutional crisis wrapped in a viral prank. Andrew has gone from the palace walls to the police station, and for 15 glorious minutes, to the most famous museum in the world.