No One Ever Told Andrew ‘No’ — Until a Senior Aide Finally Did, and Things Turned Physical
A royal biographer exposes an incident where Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor physically assaulted a senior Palace aide—something that Prince Philip had to later apologize for.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s life has taken a turn for the worse, and with each passing day, new details about his volatile temperament make headlines. The recent one, however, might just be the most shocking, with reports suggesting that the former Duke of York got into a physical altercation with a senior royal official. In a recent interview, royal biographer Robert Hardman shared his insights, noting that the disgraced royal was quite notorious among palace staff for using his titles and position to get his own way—a behavior that frequently put him at odds with aides.
Speaking to GB News, Hardman suggested that Mountbatten-Windsor was infamous for “throwing his weight about,” highlighting that "everyone found him pretty exasperating,” with the atmosphere surrounding the former prince always fraught with tension. According to the biographer, issues intensified and “came to a head one day” when the ex-Duke was planning a Pitch@Palace event. The organization, which launched in 2014 as a platform to connect emerging tech talent with high-level investors, was finally dissolved in 2025 following the reputational collapse brought by the Andrew-Epstein saga.
On the day of the alleged physical confrontation, the former Duke was “demanding” access to a specific room at Buckingham Palace. But he was informed by the Master of the Household, Sir Tony Johnstone-Burton, that everything was booked and that he would “have to wait, like everybody else.” The rejection of his request reportedly triggered a physical reaction from the disgraced royal, with Hardman describing the encounter in his new book, Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public. The Inside Story—as a shocking breach of a “very distinguished, much-liked, much-trusted, very senior royal aide.” Elaborating on the specifics of the clash, the biographer highlighted that it was not merely verbal but “ended up with him pushing, punching...it was described to me as a kinetic blow.”
Even more shocking was the fact that when the late Queen Elizabeth was eventually informed of the fight, she appeared entirely unbothered. Hardman argued that she “was not surprised” by the allegations, adding that it was “just typical of Andrew’s boorish behaviour.” Prince Philip, however, had a different take and intervened as soon as the news reached his ears. According to the biography, the Duke of Edinburgh was so troubled by his son’s actions that he took the rare step to write a “formal letter of apology” to Sir Tony Johnstone-Burton on Mountbatten-Windsor’s behalf. Such conduct seemed to be a recurring theme throughout the former prince's public life. “The more stories I heard about Andrew's behaviour… Whether you talked to lord lieutenants, whether you talk to ambassadors, whoever it is, everyone would have an eye-rolling Andrew story,” Hardman told the outlet.
His notoriety for being difficult extended to his professional diplomatic roles as well. Former Prime Minister David Cameron—who eventually sacked the disgraced royal from his trade envoy role in 2011—told Hardman, “He was just a liability as trade envoy… You'd be at a Davos trade conference, and he'd just say the wrong thing… He'd blunder into the room and blunder out again, and time was called.”
