The picture of a stunned Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor slouched in the back of a car following his arrest has been splashed across newspapers and websites around the world.
The photograph was taken by Reuters photographer Phil Noble, who said capturing the moment was "more luck than judgement".
Andrew, who was stripped of his royal titles last year because of his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was arrested Thursday (local time) on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
He was later taken to a Norfolk police station for questioning on what was his 66th birthday and was "released under investigation" after being held in custody for nearly 11 hours.
When news of Andrew's arrest broke, Noble drove around six hours from his home in Manchester to Norfolk, describing it as "a proper old school news day".
"It’s a guy being arrested — who can we call, tracking him down," Noble told Reuters.
After receiving a tip-off, Noble headed to the market town of Aylsham, more than an hour from Andrew's residence.
Several other media crews were waiting outside, but Noble said as hours passed and night fell, it appeared the information may have been wrong.
Noble packed up and began heading back to his hotel when he received a call from a Reuters colleague saying two cars had arrived at the police station, and suggested he turn back.
Within a minute of arriving back, the two vehicles began leaving the police station at high speed.
Noble said the front car contained police officers, so he aimed his camera at the car behind, unsure of where Andrew might have been sitting.
"When you're photographing moving parts, it’s hit and miss," he said. "You’ve got to guess where he's sitting, 'is he in the front, is he in the back?'"
He captured six frames — two showed police officers, two were blank, and one was out of focus. The final shot was clear, showing a shocked Andrew-Mountbatten Windsor leaning back in his seat.
"I couldn’t believe I’d got him as well as I did,” Noble said, and asked his colleague to verify if it was Andrew in the photo.
"The photo gods were on my side yesterday."
The picture quickly became the defining image of Andrew's arrest and circulated around media outlets worldwide.
Noble said while it may not be the best photo he has ever taken, it ranked among the most important.
"You can plan and use your experience, but everything still needs to align," he said.
"In a climate where photographers are everywhere, it’s rare for one outlet to get one key moment like that. It’s a bit surreal, to be honest."
SHARE ME