Stephen Colbert says Ex-Prince Andrew arrest Proves British Justice Beats America
Stephen Colbert wasted no time diving into some royal drama on The Late Show Thursday night, and he clearly enjoyed every second of it. The late night host opened with applause for British authorities after Andrew Mountbatten Windsor formerly Prince Andrew was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office tied to the investigation into his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
According to reports, Mountbatten Windsor was detained by U.K. police earlier Thursday morning in connection with alleged “misconduct in public office” reportedly linked to emails in the Justice Department’s Epstein files release that suggest he sent trade reports to Epstein in 2010. The arrest does not relate to longstanding allegations of sexual misconduct, which he has denied.
Still, that distinction did not stop Colbert from leaning into the spectacle or from turning the spotlight back onto President Donald Trump.
“This morning, the former Prince Andrew was arrested following revelations in the Epstein files. Yes! Finally! Someone, anyone, let’s hear it,” Colbert began. “Let’s hear it for British justice, which is better than American justice because it comes with frilly wigs.”
He even shared an image of Mountbatten Windsor being transported from his home in a police vehicle, joking that the royal looked like the vampire “Nosferatu.” It was classic Colbert, mixing sharp commentary with pop culture references.
“Technically, this arrest isn’t about any charges of pedophilia,” Colbert continued. “U.K. authorities busted Andrew for ‘misconduct in public office.’”
That phrase gave Colbert the opening he wanted. Turning squarely toward Trump, he added: “Which is defined as ‘seriously willful abuse or neglect of the power or responsibilities of the public office held,’ which is not only not illegal in the United States — it was Trump’s campaign slogan.”
From there, Colbert pivoted to mock Trump’s inaugural “Board of Peace” launch. He described it as something that “is kind of like the UN except instead of passing binding resolutions, you pass a greasy bag of money to Donald Trump.”
He followed that with another punchline aimed at the president: “So the board works kind of like a strip club. Cash only, and Donald Trump will never leave.”
For Colbert, the ex Prince Andrew arrest was more than just international news. It became another opportunity to contrast British justice with American politics and to sharpen his ongoing critique of Trump, all while keeping his audience laughing at the absurdity of it all.