This might not be unprecedented, but it’s pretty damn close. The last time a senior member of the royal family was hauled in by the authorities was Charles I during the English Civil War.

Charles had tried to challenge the authority of MPs – striding into the Commons, searching for his critics and eventually raising his standard against the forces of parliament. This turned out to be a very bad idea. He ended up being defeated in a series of battles, before being put on trial in Westminster Hall.

“The authority of obedience unto Kings is clearly warranted and strictly commanded in both the Old and New Testament,” he said. “No learned lawyer will affirm that an impeachment can lie against the King… one of their maxims is that the King can do no wrong.” It didn’t work. On 30 January 1649, at around 2pm, they cut his head off on Whitehall.

A monarch or a businessman today would never use Charles I’s words, but they might secretly share the underlying sentiment.

These men might not share Charles I’s view of the divine rights of kings, but they certainly share his assumption that the........

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