Andrew Lownie, author of the biography 'Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York', has spoken about the challenges he faced in investigating Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. The book, described by the Daily Mail as 'the most devastating royal biography ever written', details the greed and excesses of the couple. Lownie's office, near parliament, is filled with rejected freedom of information requests from various government departments, including UK Trade and Investment and the Foreign Office. He approached 3,000 people from Prince Andrew's life, but only a tenth agreed to speak to him.
Lownie expressed frustration at the lack of cooperation from former ambassadors and other officials, stating, 'These are the guys I want in the dock, in parliament, on oath.' He noted that some responded 'cheerily' with 'nice try' after repeated requests. The book, published last year after four years of research, paints a picture of a royal who was never refused anything, with a history of exploitative and money-grubbing behaviour.
Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide last year, alleged she was trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein to Prince Andrew and raped by him three times when she was a minor under US law. The Metropolitan Police reviewed the allegations but did not launch a formal criminal investigation. Prince Andrew denied the claims, initially stating he had no recollection of meeting Giuffre, then saying he was 'at a loss' to explain a photograph of them together. He settled a civil case in 2022 without admitting liability, with a reported £2 million donation to Giuffre's chosen charity from the late Queen.
Lownie suggested that King Charles, who was 'running the show with the queen' by 2022, must have been aware of the settlement. He also highlighted a complaint from a former royal protection officer who said prostitutes were being brought into Buckingham Palace without proper vetting. Lownie noted that while the officer was later found guilty of fraud, 'that doesn't invalidate what he says'.
