Insider Reveals Andrew's Only Loyal Companion Amid Royal Fallout — It’s Not Who You Think
As staff step back and family members keep their distance, insiders say the Duke’s closest company now has four legs.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor may have lost everything, including his royal titles, military privileges, and Royal Lodge, which he had called home for more than two decades. But according to some well-placed insiders, he hasn’t lost everything. There is one last thread he is still hanging onto. In fact, as the fallout deepens and allies thin out, there’s reportedly one loyal companion still firmly by his side, and it's not an aide, courtier, or his former wife, Sarah Ferguson.
The revelation was made by Rob Shuter, who took to his Substack to write that, amid growing legal pressure and ongoing reputational damage, Mountbatten-Windsor’s once-busy circle has grown noticeably quiet. Staff departures, strained optics, and careful distancing have reshaped his day-to-day reality. But through it all, one presence has been constant — the loyal corgis that belonged to the late Queen Elizabeth. “The corgis are the only ones not walking away,” one royal source tells Shuter. “They’re his last line of unconditional loyalty.” Insiders say members of his household have either resigned or sought transfers, wary of being professionally tethered to an increasingly controversial figure.
“People are protecting their reputations,” an insider explained. “No one wants their career tied to this.” But within the family, their standing is almost very dispersed. Ferguson is said to be spending time in the Middle East, keeping a low profile while maintaining relationships with well-connected friends. Princess Eugenie is reportedly maintaining public composure and routine. Princess Beatrice, meanwhile, is understood to be focusing on her own family life in the Cotswolds. “Everyone is coping differently,” says a Palace source. “But physically, emotionally — he’s on his own.”
For someone once surrounded by aides, engagements, the quiet now is all the more evident. The grandeur has dimmed, and the staff corridors have thinned. “Right now,” a former aide says softly, “It’s just him and the dogs.”
For those unversed, the corgis were originally bought by Mountbatten-Windsor. The dogs were originally gifted to the late Queen Elizabeth by Mountbatten-Windsor himself during a difficult period. At the time, Prince Philip had been hospitalised, and the Queen was feeling low and isolated at Windsor Castle. “The Queen did not plan on getting any new dogs as she feared she was getting too old," an insider told. “But it was Andrew who surprised his mum with two new puppies when she felt down and alone in the Castle after the Duke was taken to hospital.” The source added, “It’s like the Tower of London not having any ravens. They have only been there a couple of weeks, but are said to be adorable and have made the castle their home. Both are said to be bringing in a lot of noise and energy into the castle while Prince Philip is in the hospital.”
A few weeks after the puppies arrived, their names were made public — and, true to form, they carried personal meaning. One was called Muick — pronounced 'Mick' — after Loch Muick, a spot close to the Queen’s heart on her Balmoral estate in Scotland. The other was named Fergus, in tribute to Fergus Bowes-Lyon, her uncle, who was killed in action in France during the First World War in 1915.
