Alison Hammond believes police ‘could’ve done it yesterday’ instead of arresting Prince Andrew on his birthday

A breakfast TV host in the UK has come under fire after comments she made regarding Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to viewers live on air. 

Ibanez Taylor
PerthNow
A breakfast TV host in the UK has come under fire after comments she made regarding Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to viewers live on air. 
A breakfast TV host in the UK has come under fire after comments she made regarding Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to viewers live on air.  Credit: Supplied

A breakfast TV host in the UK has come under fire after comments she made regarding Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to viewers live on air.

Popular ITV journalist Alison Hammond has found herself at the centre of a social media storm after making an off-the-cuff remark about the former prince’s arrest.

The This Morning host was presenting alongside Dermot O’Leary, journalist Nick Ferrari and commentator Sonia Sodha when the program turned to the breaking news that Andrew had been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

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During the discussion, Hammond suggested that the timing of the arrest— which took place on Andrew’s 66th birthday — was unfortunate.

“Surely they could’ve done it yesterday, the day before his birthday,” she said, before adding that details were still emerging and that police had only confirmed limited information at that stage.

Her comment quickly sparked backlash online, with some viewers accusing the presenter of being tone-deaf given the seriousness of the allegations.

One wrote: “Soooo far out of her depth here. Dreadful.”

Another one wrote “Alison says the stupid part out loud again.”

It comes after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been photographed returning to Sandringham, hours after his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

He was released from the Aylsham police investigation centre about 7pm local time after being grilled for hours by police.

Appearing tired and shell-shocked, the former prince can be seen in the back of a vehicle.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor released from Police custody
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor released from Police custody Credit: Reuters

The whereabouts of Sarah Ferguson remains unclear following the former Duke of York’s arrest.

Ferguson, who separated from Andrew in 1992 and formally divorced him in 1996, has not appeared publicly since news broke of his detention.

Until earlier this month, the pair — once described by Ferguson as the “happiest divorced couple in the world” — had continued living together at the 31-room Royal Lodge on the Windsor estate, having moved back in together in 2008.

There are reports Ferguson is now “lying low” in the UAE, where she is believed to have been at the time of Andrew’s arrest.

Originally published on PerthNow

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