The alleged sexual proclivities of disgraced royal Prince Andrew have come under renewed scrutiny this week with the publication of a new biography.

Entitled The Rise And Fall Of The House Of York, the book by writer and commentator Andrew Lownie traces the Duke of York’s early rise in the public eye before his dramatic fall from grace. That downfall, long tied to his controversial friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, has been the subject of widespread attention since Epstein’s death in 2019.

A portrait of “Randy Andy”

Drawing on interviews, court filings and Freedom of Information disclosures, Lownie describes Andrew as “a spoilt prince unable to connect,” while portraying Sarah Ferguson as a duchess consumed by insecurities and her need to preserve the privileges of royal status.

The author also claims to have uncovered new details about the Duke’s sex life, which he frames not as “preferences” but as symptoms of addiction. According to Lownie, Andrew may have been intimate with as many as 1,000 to 2,000 women.

Among the first was his own wife. Married in 1986, Andrew spent long stretches away with the Royal Navy, during which he allegedly pursued affairs. “Sarah discovered Andrew wasn’t coming home on some of his leave,” his former driver recalled in the book, claiming the Duke slept with “more than a dozen women” before his first anniversary.

Other sources paint an even darker picture. One insider alleged Andrew lost his virginity at just 11 years old, sparking a lifelong obsession. Another claimed that, while holidaying in destinations such as Bangkok, hotel staff witnessed a stream of women — “more than 10 a day” — being escorted to his room.

The Epstein connection

A large portion of Lownie’s work revisits Andrew’s relationship with Epstein. While Andrew has long maintained he first met Epstein in 1999, the book argues their ties began nearly a decade earlier.

Epstein’s former driver recounted transporting Andrew to New York’s Gansevoort Hotel alongside two young women “around eighteen” who were allegedly using cocaine. Lownie argues Epstein “played” Andrew, exploiting the prince’s weakness for women to gain respectability, political access and business opportunities.

The book also revisits the allegations of Virginia Giuffre, who said she was trafficked by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to Andrew between 2000 and 2002, when she was 17. Giuffre accused the Duke of sexual abuse and battery, claims he denied before reaching a financial settlement with her in 2022.

Following that settlement, Andrew issued a statement pledging to “demonstrate his regret for his association with Epstein.”