New book details plots by Argentina and the IRA against the Duke of York
Prince Andrew reportedly survived two serious assassination plots, according to claims in a new book examining the Duke of York’s troubled life.
Historian Andrew Lownie, in Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, alleges the disgraced royal’s relaxed attitude to personal security left him dangerously exposed on multiple occasions.
One plan was allegedly hatched by Argentina in the wake of the 1982 Falklands War. Lownie writes that military leaders considered sending commandos to kill Andrew while he was vacationing in Mustique with then-girlfriend Koo Stark. As a Royal Navy helicopter pilot during the conflict, Andrew had become a highly visible target.
“The Argentine junta actively explored an assassination mission against Andrew after the Falklands,” Lownie claimed. “Intelligence sources told me there was talk of sending a submarine packed with special forces to eliminate him. It was never executed, but it was seriously considered.”
A second alleged plot came from the IRA, who are said to have drawn up plans to assassinate the Duke on a golf course. Lownie described this as one of the most credible threats of many Andrew faced during his life.
The Falklands War lasted 74 days, claiming 649 Argentine and 255 British lives. Andrew returned from the conflict celebrated as a young war hero, but his Caribbean holiday with Stark quickly drew tabloid attention, with beach photographs dominating headlines at the time.
