Unauthorized Prince Andrew biography deepens royal scrutiny

A new unauthorized biography of Prince Andrew is intensifying scrutiny of the royal family at a moment when the House of Windsor is already grappling with questions of legitimacy, succession and public trust. The book, The Rise and Fall of the House of York, presents a wide-ranging portrait of Andrew, his marriage to Sarah Ferguson, and the wider dynamics within the royal household, placing particular emphasis on his ties to Jeffrey Epstein and the decades of controversy that followed. The author argues that the Epstein connection marks a turning point in the prince’s public life and continues to haunt the royal family.

Central to the book’s narrative is a claim that Andrew’s association with Epstein dates back to the early 1990s and helped fuel a broader debate about his suitability for public duties. The narrative also recounts the 2022 decision to strip him of military titles and royal patronages, a step taken after a U.S. civil case over sexual assault allegations and a public-relations crisis that culminated in his withdrawal from royal duties and the dormancy of his HRH title. The biography characterizes those moves as a turning point that left the prince largely...