Prince Andrew’s reputation has been called into question by an established journalist following the upcoming release of a new biography about the Duke of York, titled ‘Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York’, by author Andrew Lownie. There are several attention-grabbing claims relayed in the book and royal watchers will be awaiting its release on August 14.
So far, a serialisation has been published in the Daily Mail which contains a number of shocking claims about senior members of the Royal Family including an alleged fight between Prince Harry and Prince Andrew in 2013. Alexander Larman at The Spectator has questioned any potential reaction from the Duke of York following the anticipated release. He writes in The Spectator: “His already tarnished reputation is likely to sink even further into the gutter, especially if Andrew does not dignify any of the stories in the book with a refutation of any kind.”
Amid a number of shocking claims, the new biography alleges Prince Harry and his uncle entered a violent altercation during a family gathering in 2013 over “something Andrew said behind Harry’s back”. Author, Andrew Lownie, claimed “Harry got the better of Andrew by all accounts”, with Harry leaving his uncle “with a bloody nose” before their fight was broken up, as serialised in the Daily Mail.
Later, Andrew told Harry his marriage to Meghan Markle would not last more than a month and accused his nephew of going “bonkers” and not doing any due diligence into her past. He openly accused Meghan of being an opportunist and thought she was too old for Harry, adding that his nephew was making the biggest mistake.
Representatives for the Duke of Sussex have since denied the fight ever happened, adding that Andrew never made the alleged comments. A spokesman for the Duke of Sussex told the Daily Mail: “I can confirm Prince Harry and Prince Andrew have never had a physical fight, nor did Prince Andrew ever make the comments he is alleged to have made about the Duchess of Sussex to Prince Harry.”
Prince Harry has since sent a legal letter to the Daily Mail over the publication of what their spokesperson described as “gross inaccuracies, damaging and defamatory remarks”, as reported in the Guardian.
Prince Andrew fell from grace after a disastrous Newsnight interview in 2019 about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, the late American financier and convicted sex offender. Following the interview, the duke was stripped of his royal and military titles in 2021.
King Charles has since allowed his younger brother to stay in his home, the Royal Lodge, a 30-room mansion in Windsor Great Park owned by the crown estate, which he shares with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson. However, last year the King ended Andrew’s allowance, estimated at £1m annually, raising questions about future arrangements.
In another major claim, a source quoted in Lownie’s biography, as stated in the Daily Mail, claims the Prince of Wales is keen to “evict” the duke and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson.
Referring to a source, the author writes: “William has long worked behind the scenes to evict his uncle from Royal Lodge, the home he occupies in Windsor Great Park. He thinks Andrew is abusing the property and his privilege there…”