Royal author Andrew Lownie says the royal family must answer questions about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor if it wants to rebuild public trust.
Lownie, who wrote Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, said the family has not clearly explained who paid for Andrew’s reported £12 million settlement with Virginia Giuffre. She had accused Andrew of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager.
Lownie said his sources and a report in The Sun suggested the money came from Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles. He said the Palace denied this account.
His comments came days after Andrew won a legal challenge over police searches of his royal homes. Police agreed that the search warrants were unlawful.
A London court must still decide whether police can keep the items taken during the searches. Both the judge and police stressed that the investigation is still ongoing.
Lownie said people want to know what the royal family knew about Andrew, when they knew it and what they did about it. He said the family needs to answer these questions to restore confidence in the monarchy.
Republic, a group that wants to end the monarchy, supported his comments. In a post on X, it also claimed that the royals had prevented Parliament from properly holding them accountable for their actions.
