The arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor last week, after allegations he had shared confidential information with the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, sent shock waves around the world.
What happens next is unclear, but the ramifications will go far beyond the former prince, who has consistently denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein. It was one of the most consequential days for Britain’s monarchy in generations, shattering the traditional aura of royal mystique and raising questions of accountability, deference and whether the royal family should have acted sooner.
In a powerful essay for our big story this week, Stephen Bates asks whether the royal family can survive the unfolding scandal.
Spotlight | The limits to the supreme court’s assent Last week’s declaration by the conservative-heavy court that Trump’s sweeping tariffs are unlawful is a major setback for the president, writes Ed Pilkington
Health | Why big pharma stands to gain from weight-loss pills Oral tablets could bring obesity treatment into the mainstream, with the sector predicted to be worth $200bn by the end of the decade. Julia Kollewe reports
Special report | The road to war in Ukraine In a remarkably detailed piece drawing on more than 100 interviews with senior intelligence officials and other insiders, Shaun Walker explains how the CIA and MI6 got hold of Putin’s Ukraine plans – and why nobody believed them
Opinion | A degree? A trade? Every rung for young people is a trap Is it to be a degree and heavy debt when graduate jobs are shrinking? Or forgoing a degree, knowing society still worships them? Confused, angry: who wouldn’t be, asks Jason Okundaye
Culture | Big in Beijing (but less so in Blackpool) James Balmont’s band, Swim Deep, plays to crowds of hundreds across the UK – but in China, they perform in front of tens of thousands. And they’re not the only ones
Administration officials said it would allow President Trump to claim a military win. But top officials also hope it would drive Iran to give up its nuclear enrichment program.
President Trump appears to be undermining Americans’ faith in the outcome, at a moment when Republicans face an uphill climb to keep control of Congress.
The Trump administration is proposing Obamacare plans that it says will lower health insurance premiums. But critics warn they would make care unaffordable.
A woman’s unverified accusation that Donald Trump assaulted her when she was a minor is in the files. But several memos related to her account are noT.
Jean-Paul Thorbjornsen is a leader of THORChain, a blockchain that is not supposed to have any leaders—and is reeling from a series of expensive controversies.
Fast, stealthy, and cheap—autonomous, semisubmersible drone boats carrying tons of cocaine could be international law enforcement’s nightmare scenario. A big one just came ashore.
Allison Nixon had helped arrest dozens of members of the Com, a loose affiliation of online groups responsible for violence and hacking campaigns. Then she became a target.
On the defensive as the midterms approach, President Trump made clear in his State of the Union address that his strategy was to paint Democrats as unpatriotic.
Inside Nicolás Maduro’s Last Days in Power
The Venezuelan leader overestimated his strength and misread his exchange with President Trump in the decisive weeks before his capture by U.S. forces.
Ian McKellen Swings from Shakespeare to Gandalf to Virtual Reality
On a visit to New York, the actor reflected on mortality and coming out, and unleashed an Elizabethan anti-ICE monologue on “Colbert” that went viral. By Henry Alford
James Talarico Puts His Faith in Texas Voters
The Senate candidate believes that Democrats can win by appealing to higher values. Can he succeed in the age of Trump? By Tad Friend
Why the World Cup Can Feel Like War
Soccer stadiums can be dominated by violence, tribalism, chauvinism, and near-religious fervor‚ animated by the memory of old hostilities and the power of ritual. By Ian Buruma
The Trial of Gisèle Pelicot’s Rapists United France and Fractured Her Family
After fifty-one men were convicted, Pelicot became a feminist hero. But additional accusations left her children struggling to accept her new role. By Rachel Aviv
Vladyslav Vlasiuk has spent the past four years pressing Western allies to squeeze the Russian economy through more sanctions. He hopes that 2026 will be the tipping point.
In Asia, countries that rushed to reach deals with the U.S. before the Supreme Court decision now face the reality that they may have been better off waiting.
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