Response London, Dimitris Mavrokephalidis
As the British monarchy faces accusations that strike at the very core of its credibility, Vima talks exclusively to Andrew Lownie, the British historian and author whose work has repeatedly questioned royal secrecy.
Lownie is the author of a major biography of him, published a few months ago, in which he examines the Duke of York’s rise and fall, his private behavior and the wider impact of his actions on the reputation and credibility of the Royal Family.
Amid reports that he had been warned as far back as 2019 that royal connections were being abused, and unprecedented talks of legislatively removing Andrew Mountbatten Windsor from the line of succession are underway, Lownie offers a stark assessment of what he describes as an existential crisis for the institution.
Everything is writing a new story
We can start with the recent developments. The British government is considering the unprecedented, British media claim, of removing a royal from the line of succession through legislation. How unprecedented is this move?
It is absolutely unprecedented. No one has been removed from the line of succession in this way. Every time a new story is written and new facts are opened. Never in the history of the royal family has there been an arrest for such a serious offence.
Therefore, we are in uncharted waters. We have to deal with it literally day by day. Personally, however, I think it is a disorientation. It will consume parliamentary time. It is not necessary. No one believes he is going to be king.
And I don’t think the royal family wants that, because of course it would open the way for parliamentary debate around the royal family, which they want to avoid. Also, he is a councilor of state, but there are many other councilors of state who have been called before him. So that’s not going to happen.
In my opinion, the essential issues are transparency around the royal family and accountability for what they have done.
A fall from the podium
You have already written your book, The Rise and Fall of the House of York. How do you think Andrew Mountbatten Windsor should ultimately be remembered?
I think this is rather sad, because he is remembered as the “golden child” of the royal family. He was the returning war hero.
Sarah Ferguson was extremely popular when they got married. And it is a fall from glory and infamy, through greed. It is a tragedy, because she has done more than any other member of the royal family to undermine her reputation and credibility.
And in many ways, he was a very ardent supporter of the royal family. So it’s a tragedy. It’s a tragedy for him.
It is a tragedy for the royal family. And it has undermined the respect and trust in the institution, which will now have to be rebuilt.
Justification and royal transparency
How do recent developments align with or challenge the conclusions of your biography?
All the material that has been recently uncovered pretty much confirms what I found. There are other examples, and other pieces of the same story that I had identified. It is especially reassuring to see that what I wrote turned out to be correct.
And my sources proved to be reliable. Much of what I have been calling for for years, such as royal transparency, is now starting to happen. We hope they keep happening.
I feel that I have been vindicated in my investigation, because I have been strongly attacked. Many accused me of not being serious. It’s satisfying to feel like you were finally right.
Public image and private reality
Do you think there was a gap between his public image and his private life?
Yes, and this has to do with the royal family trying to shape the narrative. This is a false narrative. It’s pure PR.
But there was a huge gap. Just today I had lunch with someone who had known him since childhood. All these horror stories of bullying, attention deficit disorder and more were known to those who knew him at the time. They just weren’t coming out.
There is still much to be revealed
Do you think we now know the whole truth, or are there still aspects of Andrew’s story we’re missing out on?
I think there is still a lot that will come to light, and I hope it will. Absolutely.
I knew that when I did my research I was only seeing the tip of the iceberg. Now we have a huge amount of data with these three million pages, but there are three pages that have not been made public.
More witnesses may come forward. More legal filings may be unsealed. There are a whole host of developments that can shed more light.
Trial, accusations and royal implications
What do you think is next for Andrew? Can we expect a trial?
It’s an interesting question, because he hasn’t been charged yet.
They might not find enough evidence, but I’d be impressed. I think there is a lot of evidence to support a hypothesis. There is also the question of whether he can legally be charged.
Was he a public official or just a member of the royal family performing public duties? I’m sure many legal details will be tried.
The other problem for the royal family is what they will say if it comes to trial. Will he try to bring in other members of the royal family to apply pressure and avoid a trial?
Will he be charged with relatively minor offenses of abuse of public office or more serious charges such as sex trafficking? There are too many unknown parameters.
And it may, as was written in a column in Spain, disappear before justice is done. Disappear somewhere in the Middle East. There are too many uncertainties to predict what will happen.
He thought he was invulnerable
When you started researching Andrew, what surprised you the most?
The cheeky way he operated. That he took extradited women or went through 40 extradited on a state trip.
He took his mistress on official visits. Really incredible stuff. The most impressive thing is that he believed himself to be so protected and immune from all scrutiny that he could behave as he pleased.
An unprecedented scandal
Do you see any historical parallel with what has been happening in recent days, for example with the crisis of Edward’s resignation?
It was much worse than Edward. Edward went quietly and the Nazi links were only revealed after his death.
Here we are talking about financial corruption, at the center of the royal family, with the assistance of a monarch, the queen. They knew he was taking bribes and nothing was done. And about the possibility of yet another king abdicating because of his involvement in his brother’s activities.
No, this is really serious. It is existential for them. They will survive. But it may be necessary for Charles to, in effect, abdicate for the monarchy to continue.
The biggest scandal to date
Would you call it the biggest scandal the British royal family has ever known?
Absolutely. I don’t think there is anything like it. I am a royal historian. I’ve never seen anything like this before. And we’re only halfway there. It’s scary in some ways. It must be terrifying for them.
