The story behind Prince Andrew’s arrest

Also this week: how to build a 21st-century monarchy, and the power of literary festivals

Though I had been calling for it for months, the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor surprised me as much as anyone else. I had assumed the police would delay action, or use Peter Mandelson as a test case first. The arrest surprised me in other ways. Given he was only held for questioning for 11 hours and then released without bail, was such a dawn raid with all escape exits covered really necessary, especially on his birthday? Might he not have simply been asked to present himself at the station to help the police with their enquiries?

Perhaps I should not have been surprised. Several months ago, a source told me there would be a major development around now. They have just confirmed it was the arrest. If this is true, it appears the tipping point was not the deluge of revelations from the dump of Epstein emails, but material the police have had for some time. I’m told the FBI handed material to the Met in 2022. Perhaps public pressure, partly driven by social media, forced them to act.

Crowd sourcing

The publication of my book about Mountbatten-Windsor, Entitled, last August brought forward dozens of new sources, including the former prince’s school friends, naval colleagues, former staff and diplomats, and many, hitherto off the record, are prepared to be named. Some have come forward now that there is a focus for such disclosure. Others perhaps from a realisation that the full story needs to be told.

At one literary festival, I said that former ambassadors should be ashamed that they had not spoken out. A hand went up in the audience and an elderly man meekly piped up: “I am a former ambassador and I will talk to you.” I also stressed that Andrew seems to have been spoiled and had no boundaries. Another hand was raised: “I was his nanny in the 1960s and I can assure you he was severely disciplined.”

Inside information

This is one of the reasons I love festivals: inevitably there is someone there who has some insight to impart. They can be frustrating, too. Recently, a man queued to have his book signed, and revealed he had been one of Andrew’s protection officers. Before I could ask for his details, he had vanished. On another occasion, talking about my book on Edward VIII, I confessed there were no documents proving Wallis Simpson had had an affair with Joachim von Ribbentrop, the Nazi German ambassador in London. A man came up to me: “I’m the grandson of Ribbentrop’s chauffeur. He told me the two were constantly in each other’s homes.”

Never complain, never explain

The release of the Epstein files has been a godsend, not just because of the new information – much of which was in my book and went unnoticed – but because they have confirmed what my sources told me. On the publication of Entitled, I was vilified for suggesting the Queen had turned a blind eye to her second son’s transgressions. Now Buckingham Palace appears to be blaming her for protecting her wayward son. The wagons are circling to protect the King. If he is shown to have known about Andrew’s financial and sexual associations and done nothing, or covered them up, then he is in trouble. Already there are calls for him to step aside in favour of William.

L’état, pas moi

The monarchy is at a crossroads and how the King deals with the “Andrew problem” will define his reign. As a monarchist, I hope it will survive, and I see this as its opportunity to modernise and become more transparent and accountable. For years I’ve been beating this drum as, I felt, a lone voice. It’s reassuring that many of those I previously reached out to in vain have now joined the drumbeat. I’m hopeful that the royal family will agree in future to be subject to parliamentary scrutiny, will not be exempt from the Freedom of Information Act, and will not be able to seal their wills. I’d also like the duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall to be treated like any other business, and have to pay capital gains and inheritance tax.

The power of literature

Since the arrest, my phone has not stopped ringing with calls from media around the world and emails coming in at the rate of 50 an hour. There have been long days but it is exciting that Entitled might have loosened the earth a bit, that the victims might finally receive some justice, and the royal family might make themselves fit for purpose in a 21st-century democracy.

“Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York” by Andrew Lownie is published by William Collins