Royal biographer Andrew Lownie has speculated the former Duke of York might find refuge in China rather than the Middle East following his recent arrest on suspicion of misconduct
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor could be heading to an unexpected destination following his dramatic downfall, according to a royal biographer.
The former Duke of York was arrested last week on suspicion of misconduct in public office before being released whilst investigations continue. It follows a succession of damaging revelations from the Epstein files, casting a spotlight on his tenure as a UK Trade Envoy and his associations with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Following months of relentless scandal, which resulted in Andrew being stripped of his royal titles and ousted from Royal Lodge by his brother King Charles, commentators have been speculating whether he might seek sanctuary in the United Arab Emirates. His well-documented close ties with the emirate’s ruler, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, would make it a seemingly natural choice.
It has been reported that the Sheikh offered him the use of a lavish 16,000 sq ft, fully staffed, six-bedroom property situated within a secure diplomatic enclave, where he might enjoy a degree of privacy and respect that appears increasingly unlikely in Britain.
However, the author behind a biography that exposed the innermost secrets of the Yorks has now put forward the suggestion that the disgraced royal could in fact relocate to an entirely unexpected destination.
Andrew Lownie told us that the UAE option may well be off the table for him, as the Emirati leadership places considerable value on their ties with King Charles and would be reluctant to jeopardise that relationship.
“If he were to go to the Middle East, they wouldn’t want to upset the Royal Family,” he said.
“He would have to go with the [British] Royal Family’s approval – which if that were known would be very unpopular – because their links with the King are more important than their links with Andrew.”
Whilst Bahrain lacks an extradition agreement with the UK, Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa maintains a “very close” relationship with Charles, according to Lownie, and he’s “not going to p*** him off”.
However, the scandal-hit royal may have a rather more unexpected alternative.
Stressing that all he can do at this stage is speculate about Mountbatten-Windsor’s plans, Lownie said: “The other option, because he’s not going to go and join Assad in Moscow, is China.
Mountbatten-Windsor maintains “lots of business activities” in China, Lownie points out. He added: “His former secretary Amanda Thirsk works for a Chinese company. He’s very close to the Chinese ambassador – when no-one went to his birthday party a couple of years ago, the Chinese ambassador turned up. “
Lownie emphasised that his China hypothesis remains entirely speculative at present. “I have no evidence of any of this except my instinct,” he said. “But that would be a place he could go.
He could get lost there, it would be a big ‘two fingers’ to Britain from Xi Jinping. “Mountbatten-Windsor could “travel around” China with impunity, Lownie believes. He continued: “He could go and see his mates, go all over the place in a private jet, but that would be a base.
“Noting that Mountbatten-Windsor’s passport remains in his possession, Lownie further remarked: “I think he could go under the radar there [in China], in a way that he couldn’t elsewhere. “.