Harry Styles Cracks a Brutal Joke About Andrew's Arrest on 'SNL'
With his signature wit, Harry Styles took a jibe at Andrew's arrest, pointed enough to keep focus on the seriousness of his scandals.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's many scandals have, unsurprisingly, made him the butt of late-night jokes. While the public was mostly outraged after his ties to Jeffrey Epstein came to light, some chose humor as their weapon of choice to shame him for his actions. Among them is former One Direction heartthrob Harry Styles, who didn't mince his words during an episode of Saturday Night Live on March 14. With his signature wit, the singer slipped in a sharp jab at Mountbatten-Windsor, light-hearted but pointed enough to keep focus on the seriousness of his arrest.
During his opening monologue on SNL, posted on YouTube, the Watermelon Sugar High singer reflected on the attention he received while casually running in London, after temporarily stepping out of the spotlight. He said, "I took up jogging. There's nothing interesting about that. But because I'm me, people pretend to find that interesting… I do it for the feeling it gives me, that runner's high." He then quipped, "Watermelon sugar high, runner's high. And if that doesn't do it for you, I also love ecstasy. As a British man who spent a lot of his life in the public eye, I can assure you, there's something nice about being boring. It's better than the alternative." The screen then cut to a photo of the former Duke of York in the back of a police car after his infamous detention on February 19.
For those still confused, Styles's jogging story was a savvy setup to contrast a harmless celebrity activity with someone whose public image is tied to controversy. Mountbatten-Windsor's post-arrest photo was used as a wicked punchline to show what the 'alternative,' i.e., a life mired by disgrace and scandal, looked like. After Styles's well-timed jibe, the audience laughed wryly before the singer grimaced, adjusted his collar, and moved on to discussing his new album.
Interestingly, the former prince was arrested on his 66th birthday, when UK authorities raided Wood Farm, where he had been banished after his eviction from Royal Lodge. The police were investigating allegations that, while serving as a UK trade envoy, he shared confidential government information with Epstein. Trade envoys are responsible for promoting British business overseas and are required to keep sensitive information confidential, even after leaving the position, which Mountbatten-Windsor breached. He was detained for 11 hours of questioning at the Aylsham police station and was photographed cowering in the back of a Range Rover.
Unsurprisingly, Styles's pointed jab isn't the first time a known public figure has brutally roasted the former Duke of York after his detention. As reported by HELLO!, while hosting the BRIT Awards on February 28, host Jack Whitehall introduced James Blunt and Maya Jama to announce the winner of the Artist of the Year category. The comedian called Blunt "the only man posher than me at the Brits." He then quipped that the Goodbye My Lover singer "was about 30th in line to the throne…might be 29th soon," as the crowd cheered at the joke.
