New Delhi, Feb. 24 -- King Charles III' s brother was under arrest. Police were searching two royal properties, and news commentators were endlessly discussing the details of a sex scandal with tentacles that stretched to the gates of Buckingham Palace.

So how did Britain's royal family spend Thursday afternoon? The king sat in the front row on the first day of London Fashion Week. Queen Camilla attended a lunchtime concert, and Princess Anne visited a prison.

The decision to continue normal royal duties was more than just an example of British stoicism in the face of the monarchy's biggest crisis in almost a century. It was the opening act of the House of Windsor's fight for survival as the arrest of the former Prince Andrew threatens ...