Andrew Feels It's Unfair People Have Turned on Him, Expert Says 'He Thinks He's Anointed'
Royal expert Andrew Lownie says the former Duke of York thinks he is untouchable and unwilling to accept that his actions carry consequences.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's arrest created a new royal history— and not the kind his family would have wanted. His detention marked the first time in almost 400 years that a member of the British royal family was arrested. Regardless of the shame he has caused, royal expert Andrew Lownie claims the former prince is facing difficulty in accepting his fallout. It appears Mountbatten-Windsor has yet to fully come to terms with his arrest, believing he is untouchable and unwilling to accept that his actions carry real consequences.
In a cover story for PEOPLE, Lownie reflected on Mountbatten-Windsor's alleged sense of entitlement. According to him, during the former prince's time in the Royal Navy, he allegedly demanded special treatment. Royal biographers have stressed that he also leaned heavily on his former title as the Duke of York, announcing it loudly in nightclubs and tooting his own horn. Lownie mentioned that Mountbatten-Windsor always believed he was "a prince first, a naval officer second, and a husband third," revealing a skewed view shaped by hierarchy rather than duty. Despite the fallout of his actions, the expert believed that the former Duke of York still "thinks he's anointed — that it's deeply unfair people have turned on him."
The expert also pointed out Mountbatten-Windsor's misconception that he could get away with his actions without accountability. He continued, "He [Andrew] has been pampered all the way through his life, in this bubble. Status is everything to him — it's his only sense of identity. They thought they'd be able to operate like this under the radar. They're clearly up to their necks in exploiting their royal status." Speaking of his daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie's dicey position, Lownie argued, "They're caught between a rock and a hard place over loyalty to their parents and their future."
The expert has previously spoken about Mountbatten-Windsor's alleged lack of accountability for his actions. In a conversation with The Guardian, he revealed that a journalist who reported late at night after the former prince's release said, "Andrew still can't see what the problem is. He thinks he's been hard done by. He's obsessed with other details – whether he can take his horses up to Norfolk, who's going to get the dogs, and where he's going to park his car." Andrew was released after 11 hours of questioning at the Aylsham Police Station. He was pictured slumped back in his Range Rover after being driven home from the police station.
In the aftermath of the shamed arrest, Lownie stressed that the Palace was now in damage-limitation mode, letting the ex-Duke alone deal with the consequences of his actions. He argued, "Everyone understands that bit – and certainly not go anywhere near the national security scandal. The plan [of the Palace], I think, at the moment, is to throw Andrew to the wolves." Two hours after his detention, King Charles released a statement expressing his 'deepest concern' regarding the arrest, but pledged his full support for the law.
