Prince Andrew’s finances have come under renewed scrutiny, and one royal expert has called for a parliamentary review of where the disgraced Duke gets his money from
Prince Andrew’s finances have come back into the spotlight – with one royal expert calling for a parliamentary review of where the Duke of York gets his money from.
The Duke’s money has been the subject of a new documentary on Channel Five – Prince Andrew: Where Did All the Money Go – that aired in January and since then more questions have been raised about how, and from whom, Andrew secures his financing.
Royal expert, author Andrew Lownie, has been vocal about his view of the need for transparency when it comes to royal finances, urging that the monarchy reforms its practice of financial opaqueness in order to survive as an institution. Lownie is the author of a forthcoming tell-all book about Prince Andrew, and he has called on social media for a “parliamentary investigation” of Andrew’s finances, as well as the rest of the Windsors.
Lownie has said that in his view the palace, and Andrew himself, cannot “have it both ways” – with Andrew still benefiting from the privileges afforded to royals, but also the royal household no longer taking any responsibility for the disgraced duke.
“I don’t think Andrew can have it both ways – not Buckingham Palace’s problem yet still afforded the exemptions given to the Royal Family,” the expert wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “This makes the case for a parliamentary investigation into his finances – and other members of the Royal Family – and a royal register all the more important. Time for MPs and Government to bite the bullet.”
Andrew stepped back as a working royal in 2019, after taking part in an interview with Newsnight about his controversial friendship with convicted paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein. The sit down was widely seen as a car crash, and despite Andrew’s claims in the interview with Emily Maitlis that he had ended his friendship with Epstein in 2010, emails have reportedly since emerged in the US that indicate the two men were still in contact in 2011. “Keep in close touch, and we’ll play some more soon!!!!” the alleged email to Epstein read.
Since stepping back as a working royal, Andrew has not received public funding. Recent months have seen Andrew come under renewed scrutiny, with claims over his friendship with an alleged Chinese spy emerging before the festive period causing him to be banned from the Royal Family’s annual Christmas celebrations and walkabout at Sandringham, Norfolk.
It comes as Andrew is set to make millions as part of a deal to become a networking middleman. The disgraced royal will work with the Dutch company Startupbootcamp where he is expected to share valuable contacts that he made at his Pitch@Palace project, which aimed to connect entrepreneurs and investors.
The Dutch firm initially brought the idea to Buckingham Palace last year before signing up Prince Andrew. The Duke of York will earn money from each deal the company secures with the potential millions being vital to him holding onto his own Grade II listed Royal Lodge property in Windsor Great Park.
A source told The Sun: “He will earn money from each deal SBC secures from his Pitch@Palace work and the windfall will help enable him to hold on to Royal Lodge. It is a way of exploiting the enviable business links he has secured over the years.”
Andrew’s long-term home of Royal Lodge is said to have become a point of contention with his elder brother King Charles, who wants him to move out of the seven-bedroom mansion and into something more modest, that would be cheaper to maintain. The Duke has reportedly been seeking alternative means of financing the upkeep of Royal Lodge – and has not indicated any willingness to budge from the property.
Lownie – a self-proclaimed monarchist – commented on social media: “The point is Andrew’s contacts come from a time when he did draw from the public purse. That requires transparency.”
Buckingham Palace has been contacted for comment.
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