A trial due to begin on 29 July 2026 was pushed back to December after Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring delayed the hearing on the morning it was scheduled to start, citing concerns over the accused's mental health. Hello!

The defendant, Alex Jenkinson, aged 39, is charged with using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intent to cause fear or provoke violence. He has pleaded not guilty. Jenkinson was arrested in May 2026 for possession of an offensive weapon after an alleged confrontation with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor — the younger son of the late Queen Elizabeth II, formerly known as Prince Andrew — while the royal was walking his dogs near his home on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.

The incident unfolded in Wolferton, a village on the edge of the 20,000-acre royal estate. Norfolk Police stated officers were called shortly after 7:30pm on Wednesday 6 May 2026 following a report of a man behaving in an intimidating manner. According to the published account, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was accompanied by his private security detail, got into his car and drove away — allegedly being chased by the man. The suspect was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence and possession of an offensive weapon and taken to King's Lynn Police Investigation Centre for questioning.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor had been expected to give evidence remotely via video link at the trial. When Chief Magistrate Goldspring originally set the trial date for 29 July, he stated the case was "not the sort of case that should be delayed," as reported by The Times. The delay to December overruled that earlier assessment.

The case has drawn attention partly because of the security backdrop. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's publicly funded police protection was withdrawn in 2022, three years after he stepped down as a working royal. The Telegraph reported that following the May incident, he requested his taxpayer-funded security be reinstated — a decision that sits with the Home Office, which does not routinely confirm or deny individual protection arrangements.

For now, the matter rests with the magistrates' court. The new hearing date is set for December 2026, seven months after the original listing.