'I knew Prince Andrew - the explosive new claims fit my impression of his arrogance'

Daily Record

3 days ago

Prince Andrew is the centre of a new biography that makes fresh claims of his behaviour towards staff and obsession with status - and now a royal expert has weighed in on the allegations
As Prince Andrew faces a slew of allegations about his behaviour in a new biography, someone who knew him has confirmed that the portrayal of the royal as 'arrogant, pompous, and obsessed' is accurate.
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The book, Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the Yorks, by Andrew Lownie includes claims about Andrew's relationship with Sarah Ferguson, and his supposed rants at staff members.
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Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told The Mirror that Andrew is 'the problem that won't go away' for the royal family. She said: "Every few months now, there seem to be new allegations about Prince Andrew and lurid stories about his behaviour over the years.'
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She went on to explain that summer is usually a period of calm for the royals - something which will have been disrupted by the release of the biography.
Bond said: "I'm sure the book will have infuriated Andrew. I have to say, though, that from my own experience of meeting the Duke and my conversations with many people who have known him or worked with him over the years, there is a distinct ring of truth about his portrayal in this book. Arrogant, pompous and obsessed with status was my abiding impression of him."
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The book also claimed that Ferguson lived a life of 'opulent excess' which included wild spending on staff, holidays, and parties. The Mirror contacted the Duke and Duchess of York for comment.
While the King is likely to be exasperated by having to read about Andrew's 'shenanigans', Bond said that we should not expect any retaliation as the pair are still brothers. She said: 'I suspect the King will just roll his eyes, probably swear about Andrew under his breath — but then get on with more important things in life.'
Lownie's book is more than 450 pages long and is said to have taken four years to research. He explained on Good Morning Britain that he started writing the biography after the infamous Newsnight interview in which Andrew discussed his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.
The historian explained: 'The thing with Andrew is you can't believe a word he says.' Lownie also said that Andrew "lost his protector" when his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died, and that if he were to advise him on communications, he would suggest to Andrew to "keep a low profile" and "try to win back the respect of the British people".
Discussing the title of his book, Lownie said that Andrew was "spoilt as a child" and was never set "any boundaries", which meant that he was always allowed to get away with his behaviour.