Royal biographer Andrew Lownie believes that Prince Andrew could relocate thousands of miles away after his downfall
Disgraced royal Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor could potentially leave the UK for an unexpected location following his downfall, a royal author has suggested
The former Duke of York was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office last week, before being released pending further investigation. This follows a series of damaging revelations from the Epstein files that illuminated his tenure as a UK Trade Envoy and his associations with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
In light of the ongoing scandals over recent months, which resulted in Andrew’s royal titles being stripped and him being ousted from Royal Lodge by his brother King Charles, experts have speculated whether he might seek sanctuary in the United Arab Emirates. Given his close relationship with the emirate’s ruler, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, it could seem a logical choice.
It’s been reported that the Sheikh offered him the use of a lavish 16,000 sq ft, fully staffed, six-bedroom residence within a secure diplomatic area, where he might anticipate a degree of privacy and respect that may no longer be afforded to him in the UK.
However, the author behind a biography that exposed the secrets of the Yorks, has proposed that the disgraced royal could relocate somewhere entirely different.
Speaking to us, Andrew Lownie said that the UAE option might not be available to him, because the Emirati rulers value their relationship with King Charles and wouldn’t want to endanger that. “If he were to go to the Middle East, they wouldn’t want to upset the Royal Family,” he said.
“He would have to go with the [British] Royal Family’s approval – which if that were known would be very unpopular – because their links with the King are more important than their links with Andrew.”
Whilst Bahrain doesn’t have an extradition treaty with the UK, Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa is “very close to Charles”, Lownie says, and so he’s “not going to p*** him off”.
However, the disgraced royal might have a more unexpected alternative. Emphasising that he can only speculate at this stage, Lownie told us: “The other option, because he’s not going to go and join Assad in Moscow, is China. Mountbatten-Windsor has “lots of business activities” in China, Lownie points out.
He explained: “His former secretary Amanda Thirsk works for a Chinese company. He’s very close to the Chinese ambassador – when no-one went to his birthday party a couple of years ago, the Chinese ambassador turned up. “
Lownie emphasised that currently his China theory is pure speculation. “I have no evidence of any of this except my instinct,” he said. “But that would be a place he could go.
He could get lost there, it would be a big ‘two fingers’ to Britain from Xi Jinping. “Mountbatten-Windsor could “travel around” China without hindrance, according to Lownie. He elaborated: “He could go and see his mates, go all over the place in a private jet, but that would be a base.”
Highlighting that Mountbatten-Windsor’s passport hasn’t been seized, Lownie further commented: “I think he could go under the radar there [in China], in a way that he couldn’t elsewhere. “.
