After he released his bombshell book on the lives of Prince Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, historian and author Andrew Lownie has revealed which royal will be the focus of his next biography. Speaking in a recent interview, Mr Lownie said he has already started working on a “warts and all” book on the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
The Duke, who passed away at the age of 99 in 2021, was the beloved consort of Queen Elizabeth II for 73 years and will be the focus of the author’s next project. Mr Lownie has previously written books on the late Duke’s uncle, Lord Louis Mountbatten, and about the life and scandals of King Edward VIII.
Speaking to the Mail on Sunday, Mr Lownie said: “I’ve put in all the FOIs [Freedom of Information requests] for a Prince Philip book already.”
The author added: “I’m told a great deal of time after his death was spent by those in his employment burning all his papers, but I’m working very hard to get what I can.”
One early find was Prince Philip’s school report, which was intended to be inaccessible to the public for a century. “Why they kept it classified for 100 years, I don’t know,” Mr Lownie said.
“But I’ve got it. It shows his recommendations for the Royal Navy, and it’s now at last declassified and available. Times are changing, they do need to start declassifying more and more records for the royals. People expect more transparency from the monarchy now.”
Away from his new book, the author also revealed that since the publication of Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, several sources who previously refused to speak about Prince Andrew have now come forward, and his publisher has invited him to publish an updated version of his book.
Mr Lownie said that so many more people have come forward that the updated edition would be an “entirely new book” and would be ready for sale by summer 2026.
He said: “The amazing and astonishing thing that’s happened since Entitled came out is that people have come forward in droves with more stories to tell about Prince Andrew. Those who felt they couldn’t speak to me before have now changed their mind or have realised they’ve been covering things up for him out of misplaced loyalty.
“A lot of respectable people who declined to be involved in the book are now coming forward, keen to unload the secrets they’ve been keeping for all these years.
“So my Andrew book is going to have to be substantially rewritten from start to finish. It will be an entirely new book, not just a few new chapters, and I’ll get it done in time for the paperback release next summer. I think my book really broke the inertia surrounding Prince Andrew.”
