- by Deborah Longe
- February 20, 2026
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The following is a transcription of On the Lord’s Side Podcast presented on GospelBellsRadio on February 20, 2026 by Olufemi Oguntokun. It may not fully match with the audio, but represents a near perfect transcription of the broadcast.
On the Arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
Good morning to you once again. It’s Friday, the 20th of February, 2026. The program is On the Lord’s Side: Christian Perspectives on News and Current Events. My name is Olufemi Oguntokun.
You can follow me on X at Olufemi OG. You can follow Gospel Bells Radio on X at Gospel Bells Radio.
On February 19, 2026, CNN carried this headline: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrested.
Who is Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor? He is the man formerly referred to as Prince Andrew, the second son of Queen Elizabeth II—one of the longest-reigning monarchs in British history, and the younger brother of the reigning monarch, King Charles III.
It is already momentous that a man born a prince is no longer a prince, even though the monarchy itself has not been abolished. With the monarchy still in place, it is striking that someone born into royalty would no longer bear that title. But now, to add to the disgrace, to add to the fall from grace: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrested.
On his 66th birthday, he became the first senior member of the British royal family to be arrested in nearly 400 years. He was detained at Wood Farm on the Sandringham Estate by Thames Valley Police, held for around 11 hours, and released under investigation the same evening.
This is not a minor procedural matter. It is a seismic event for the House of Windsor. The monarchy’s image of untouchability has been shattered in real time under King Charles III’s reign, only months after Andrew was forced to vacate Royal Lodge.
It has instantly revived republican sentiment in the United Kingdom, those who advocate that the UK should become a republic governed by elected representatives rather than by a monarch.
This has also intensified global scrutiny of the royal family’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. He was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He has not been charged with any crime, and he denies wrongdoing. The investigation continues, with searches at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk.
Buckingham Palace released a statement saying: “I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. The law must take its course. We offer full and wholehearted support and cooperation to the authorities.”
It was a statement of unprecedented distancing.
We must also acknowledge the personal tragedy: King Charles III is not merely a monarch distancing himself from a royal relative; he is a brother distancing himself from his own brother.
On the streets of London, reactions ranged from celebration to outrage. Some said, “If it’s life in jail, then it’s life in jail.” Others said it shows that power without responsibility breeds corruption.
As Christians, how do we engage with this?
We cannot help but remember Ecclesiastes 10:7:
“I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.”
A prince now processed like any other suspect. Earthly titles and palaces offer no ultimate protection from accountability. All flesh is grass. Only Christ’s kingdom is unshakeable.
We must not forget the victims—those trafficked, abused, and exploited. We pray for truth, for justice, for accountability, and for repentance where needed. We guard our hearts against mockery. Proverbs 24 warns us not to rejoice when our enemy falls.
And let us remember the words of Jesus: “What you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.”
Anyone who does not tremble at the Word of God is not wise.
If the Holy Spirit convicts you, make peace quickly. The joy we have is that sins confessed and repented of are remembered no more. How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?
Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
On Praying About Inanimate Objects
A clip circulated online of Pastor Jerry Eze, convener of NSPPD—New Season Prophetic Prayers and Declarations—praying for damaged items: fridges, iPads, laptops, televisions, phones, cars. Many mocked him, calling him a “Holy Ghost technician.”
The question is: Should Christians pray about such things?
Prayer is a soul’s sincere desire communicated by faith to God in the name of Jesus. Whatever troubles you, take it to God in prayer.
We do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words (Romans 8:26). No prayer is ever perfectly tabled by human lips; the Holy Spirit presents it properly before the Father.
Does this remove human agency? No. If you can fix it, fix it. If a technician can repair it, take it there. But even then, pray.
In 2 Kings 6, when the axe head fell into the water, Elisha made it float. The account is recorded to remind us that nothing is too small to take before God.
Doctors pray before procedures. Lawyers pray before cases. Preachers pray before sermons. Parents pray before decisions.
“Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.”
Do not mock anyone for placing any sincere request before God. If the request is misplaced, the Holy Spirit will adjust it.
On the Remaining Chibok Girls and Government Responsibility
Another story: The remaining abducted Chibok girls allegedly refused rescue after “falling in love” with Boko Haram terrorists, a statement attributed to Nigeria’s First Lady, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu.
The Chibok abduction occurred on the night of April 14–15, 2014. Twelve years later, some girls remain unrescued. Leah Sharibu is among the most notable cases.
If indeed some victims developed attachment to their abductors, we must still ask: Does that remove the state’s responsibility?
It is distasteful and disingenuous to suggest that girls abducted at 14, 15, or 16 somehow bear responsibility for their continued captivity because of emotional conditioning.
If a minor taken against her will says she “loves” her captor, that signals trauma, abuse, and psychological manipulation, not consent.
The Nigerian state failed these girls. It remains our collective shame.
As we condemn what is wrong, let us do the more excellent thing: pray.
Pray for the Chibok girls. Pray for Leah Sharibu. Pray for repentance where needed. Pray for justice. Pray for wisdom in leadership.
And just as we pray for broken laptops, we pray for broken systems, broken institutions, and broken lives.
May the Lord teach us to tremble at His Word, to carry everything to Him in prayer, and to walk wisely in these troubling times.