Author of Prince Andrew’s Controversial Book Has Now Set His Sights on Another Senior Royal
When it comes to peeling back the layers of royal life, historian and author Andrew Lownie has developed a reputation for going places few dare. Fresh off the release of his explosive new biography on Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, the writer has already revealed who his next high-profile royal subject will be, and it’s none other than the late Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip.
In an interview, Lownie disclosed that preparations for the project are already well underway. “I’ve put in all the FOIs [Freedom of Information requests] for a Prince Philip book already… I’m working very hard to get what I can,” he told The Mail.
The book, described by Lownie as a “warts and all” account, is expected to take four years to complete. By the time it hits shelves, it will be nearly a decade since Philip’s death in 2021, a timeline Lownie believes will align with the public’s appetite for deeper, more unfiltered accounts of royal history. “People might be ready to hear some of the stories about his private life,” he explained. “People expect more transparency from the monarchy now.”
Already, his research has unearthed material previously shuttered from public view, the Mirror reported. One of his discoveries includes Prince Philip’s early school report, which was supposed to remain sealed for a century. “Why they kept it classified for 100 years, I don’t know,” Lownie said. “But I’ve got it. It shows his recommendations for the Royal Navy, and it’s now at last declassified and available.”
But even while shifting focus toward Philip, Lownie isn’t done with Prince Andrew just yet. His recent book, Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, was only released last week, but such has been its impact that a second, expanded version is already in the works. The historian revealed that more damning information has surfaced since the biography’s publication, prompting his publisher to commission a substantially reworked edition. “The amazing and astonishing thing that’s happened since Entitled came out is that people have come forward in droves with more stories to tell about Prince Andrew,” he said. “Those who felt they couldn’t speak to me before have now changed their mind or have realised they’ve been covering things up for him out of misplaced loyalty.”
He added that the updated work would go far beyond a handful of new chapters. “A lot of respectable people who declined to be involved in the book are now coming forward, keen to unload the secrets they’ve been keeping for all these years. So my Andrew book is going to have to be substantially rewritten from start to finish. It will be an entirely new book, not just a few new chapters, and I’ll get it done in time for the paperback release next summer.”
For Lownie, then, this only feels like a new beginning for him, a moment he believes has broken years of royal silence. “I think my book really broke the inertia surrounding Prince Andrew,” he said.