Photo of Prince Andrew After Arrest Appears in Louvre, Sparks Protest
PARIS – A photograph of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, taken immediately after his arrest last week, was briefly displayed at the Louvre Museum in Paris on Sunday, prompting a demonstration by the activist group Everyone Hates Elon. The image, captured by Reuters photographer Phil Noble, shows the former prince looking disheveled in the backseat of a Range Rover.
The protest group affixed the photo to a wall within the famed gallery, accompanied by a plaque reading “He’s Sweating Now.” The phrase references a controversial 2019 interview with British journalist Emily Maitliss, during which Mountbatten-Windsor denied claims by Virginia Giuffre that he was sweating profusely while dancing with her at a London club, attributing his lack of perspiration to a medical condition.
Giuffre, a prominent victim of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, alleged she was trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sex with Mountbatten-Windsor when she was 17. Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied any wrongdoing, but settled a lawsuit with Giuffre in 2022 for a reported £10 million or more. Giuffre died by suicide in April 2025.
The photograph gained widespread attention after Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest on Thursday, his 66th birthday, on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He spent 11 hours in custody at Aylsham police station in Norfolk, England.
Everyone Hates Elon has a history of targeting high-profile individuals with public stunts. In September, the group displayed a giant photograph of Donald Trump and Epstein outside Windsor Castle and later projected images of Epstein and Mountbatten-Windsor onto the castle walls. Last June, they unfurled a banner in Venice during Jeff Bezos’ wedding, criticizing his tax practices.
Mountbatten-Windsor stepped down from his royal duties in 2019 due to his ties to Epstein. Queen Elizabeth II removed his royal duties in 2022. In October 2025, King Charles III removed his brother’s designation as the Duke of York and his remaining titles, and Mountbatten-Windsor is no longer referred to as “His Royal Highness” or a prince.
Following the incident, calls emerged for Mountbatten-Windsor’s removal from the royal line of succession. Any such action would require the agreement of the 15 Commonwealth members, including Canada, where King Charles is head of state. He currently sits eighth in line to the throne.
The Louvre declined to comment on the incident, according to British news outlets.
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