British author Andrew Lownie was born in November 1961. He has a master’s degree and doctorate from the University of Edinburgh, and is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
Lownie has written several biographies covering from spy Guy Burgess to scandalous Lord Mountbatten and his wife Edwina.
Lownie also published Traitor King, a groundbreaking biography of former King Edward VIII, that Lownie found to have been a Nazi sympathizer, aiding the German enemies before and during the Second World War.
His new book, ‘Entitled’, explores the myriads of sex misconduct scandals and shady deals involving disgraced Prince Andrew and his ex-wife (that still lives with him) Sarah Ferguson – a tale of unbridled sexuality, Jeffrey Epstein outrages, reckless serial spending of British taxpayers’ money and shady connections to accused Chinese spies.
Lownie conceded an exclusive Q&A interview to TGP about the book that has the Royal Family reeling.
Q: What drove you to write about the Royal Family?
LOWNIE: I fell into it by chance. I started writing literary travel and biography then intelligence books and it was my book on [diplomat and spy] Guy Burgess which led me to Mountbatten.
I had read Philip Ziegler’s authorized life for the Burgess research and felt there was a rather racier story to tell.
I choose the prism of the Mountbatten marriage to differentiate it from other books and that led to a trilogy on royal marriages.
In Traitor King I asked whether the marriage of the Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson was the love affair of the century as well as questioning the accepted narrative on their Nazi links.
In the final volume Entitled which though again is focused on a marriage – are they as claimed the happiest divorced couple ever? – also looks at the couple’s close associations with Jeffrey Epstein, the way they have leveraged their royal status for personal financial gain and how they have been allowed to get away with it.
I first knew your work because of your biography of the very controversial Mountbattens. What do you think was the impact of their grand-uncle Lord Mountbatten in the upbringing of King Charles and Prince Andrew?
Mountbatten was a crucial influence on Charles personally with girlfriends and in terms of his public duties but negligible on Andrew who had only just left school when Mountbatten was murdered.
What kind of pushback did you get from the Royal Family after you started working on ‘Entitled’?
Sarah Ferguson’s lawyer Paul Tweed wrote a warning letter to my publisher before the book was published saying they were watching my social media but neither Collins nor I are going to be intimidated by such threats.
After all the research you’ve done, to what you attribute Randy Andy’s hypersexualized nature?
I suggest that he was subject to sexual abuse as a child which has shaped his subsequent sexual history. Shades of Lord Mountbatten.
Do you think Andrew’s ‘greed and sense of entitlement’ are an aberration or a family trait?
I think most members of the Royal Family carry out their duties diligently and don’t seek to capitalize on their position for their personal benefit but there are exceptions and the most egregious examples are the Duke and Duchess of York.
Was being a Navy pilot Andrew’s finest moment? Did he peak this early?
Yes, the Falklands War in 1982 was Andrew’s high point where he was given a focus and stepped up to the challenge serving conscientiously throughout the campaign. But his natural laziness and sense of entitlement then returned and it was pretty much downhill from there.
Debate continues whether he was given special privileges and ever placed at risk but, having built a good relationship with his CO in Falklands who I respect, I think Andrew did his bit.
What was the impact of Sarah Ferguson on the Duke? Was she ‘too much of a breath of fresh air’?
The marriage was based on a strong physical attraction but there were private family concerns that both had got married on the rebound from other relationships and concerns that Sarah’s character and history might create embarrassments – and that has proved to be the case.
Did Andrew’s father Philip have an affair with Fergie’s mother?
Yes, I mention it as clearly important but only in passing. It’s based on reliable private information.
Your book, in a way, is a ‘massacre’ with a parade of unflattering epithets. What’s your favorite to describe the duke?
His wife called him an ‘intellectual zombie’ and explained his behavior by the fact he had never been in a supermarket.
Up to a certain point, scandals like ‘Topless Fergie is Given Toe Job by Pal Johnny’ seems to have made her even a worst offender than the Duke – her disclosing that she had two HIV tests, for example.
She certainly was initially the more embarrassing – he was in the Navy and his scope for mischief was more limited – and now his scandals with Epstein and as Special Trade Representative have rather let her sneak under the radar. They are as bad as each other.
In the book, we learn that Sarah was ‘prepared to tell stories that are not very pleasant about the English Crown’, write ‘a kiss-and-tell memoir’. Is that blackmail still ongoing?
I suspect there are good reasons why she remains within the bosom of the Royal Family.
How pervasive were the rumors that Andrew was bisexual? Is there any truth to it?
The rumors were investigated by the media and no evidence found but they continue and I have collected a large file on the subject. That said there are questions about privacy and I want to keep my focus on the financial corruption.
The most pornographic aspect of the book for me was the constant raping of taxpayers’ money. It’s astounding. Do all the Royals behave like that? How unusual is Andrew in this respect?
I don’t know because I’ve only researched Andrew and Fergie, who were certainly very brazen about it, but clearly there have been scandals with other Royals.
What was the impact of Ghislaine Maxwell over the ‘couch potato’ Duke?
Maxwell drew Andrew into Epstein’s web and was a key figure in Epstein’s operation with his ‘Super Bowl trophy’
The book clarifies when the Duke and Fergie met Jeffrey Epstein. In what way does it differ from what Andrew has told the press?
Andrew claimed in his Newsnight interview to have met Epstein in late 1990s and hardly known him when in fact they met a decade earlier. He and Sarah were much more deeply involved with the convicted pedophile than they have let on and continued to stay with him after they had claimed to have broken off all contact with him.
How often did your research show that the duke was engaged on sex with underage/barely legal girls in this period?
I found no evidence of sex with underage girls but lots with women in their early twenties and the same age as his daughters.
Was it common knowledge in the press that he sweated profusely when dancing?
Yes, as myriad press photographs show.
How much access to the Royal Family and its properties did Andrew give to Epstein?
The Full Monty: Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Sandringham, Balmoral. Other suspect business associates were entertained at Royal Palaces, invited to weddings, given tea by Queen etc.
Out of every sexual misconduct by the Duke, Virginia Giuffre was to be his undoing. How did he choose her among the girls run by Epstein?
I understand he picked her from a catalogue.
Over the years, nearly all that Giuffre revealed has turned out to be true – including being raped by Andrew 3 times. What was his first, private reaction to the accusations?
His first reaction was how to deal with her and undermine her credibility. A PR firm was brought in to help him.
Why was he called ‘air miles Andy’?
Because he preferred to take private jets and helicopters rather than commercial flights and trains whatever the cost to the taxpayer.
Did the Duke refrain from associating with Epstein after his prosecution in Florida?
No. He was the guest of honor during a five day stay with Epstein in December 2010 shortly after Epstein came out of prison.
The duke has claimed that he visited Epstein in 2010 just to break up their friendship. Was that the case?
No, he visited him to cadge some money for Fergie, to seek reassurances that Epstein was not going to blackmail him and to discuss some business projects.
The duke was also revealed in the JPMorgan documents as a friend that was referred to the bank by Epstein. What was the degree of involvement there?
The full story of Andrew and Epstein’s involvement with JP Morgan has yet to be revealed but it was extensive. Let us hope more court documents are unsealed or someone is prepared to talk.
Is it a fact that Epstein films Andrew for kompromat? Where did he send this material to?
Yes, Juliet Bryant saw the control room and we know the FBI took the tapes in 2006 – some were entrusted to a cop Mark Dougan for safe keeping because the cop thought they would never surface publicly and he took them to Russia where they are now in the hands of Putin. Tim Reilly, ex Kroll, has confirmed the Russians have kompromat on Andrew and I have several sources who have revealed various intelligence agencies have caught Andrew in a honey trap.
How effective have been his denials and his attempts to downplay his long relationship with Epstein?
Andrew is not good at lying which is strange given the practice he has had.
From all you’ve learned, do you think Epstein killed himself or was murdered? What makes you think so?
I’m increasingly persuaded he did not commit suicide. Apart from the missing cameras and guards, there is the Baden coroner’s report raising the idea of homicide, the lawyers who say Epstein was bullish rather than suicidal and the various cover ups which have been exposed. All very suspicious.
His ‘car crash’ BBC interview: how come someone with a host of advisers could engage in such an il-advised course of action? Why did he tell easily refutable lies?
Andrew was warned not to do the interview and if so to control it, keep it short and prepare. He’s so arrogant he did none of those things and felt he could say the first thing which came into his head.
What was the reaction in the UK to the Duke relinquishing his Royal duties?
Relief and ‘why had it taken so long’.
What prompted the episode in which Prince Harry punched Andrew?
Andrew cautioning Harry about her.
How does Andrew fund his lavish lifestyle?
His suspect financial dealings.
After all that, what was the reaction to Andrew’s relationship with accused Chinese spy Yang Tengbo?
No one was surprised he had been entrapped. Tengbo is not the only spy in the couple’s ambit.
What was Epstein’s opinion of Andrew?
A useful idiot who could be played.
Your book Entitled has become news in itself. What has been the reaction of the press and the royal family to it?
Extensive media publicity and, gratifyingly, a growing commentary arguing for greater royal transparency. Usual response from Palace. Silence publicly but various efforts to undermine my credibility behind the scenes.
Do you fear retaliation from the Windsors?
That comes with the territory if you speak truth to power.
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