He added: “He liked to stay in hotels rather than the [Royal] Residence as it gave him more independence in whom he saw, whether women or businessmen.
“Stories are told of escorts, masquerading as professional women, being provided that he could pick up.”
Andrew was forced to resign his government role in 2011 amid scrutiny about his connection to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein surfaced.
Following former English National Ballet patron Princess Diana’s death, Lownie claims a source described new patron Andrew as being “foisted” upon them, alleging he “exploited” the position.
“His main interest was in the dancers rather than ballet itself,” Lownie wrote. “When he did attend, he insisted on choosing who would sit with him in the royal box.
The source, described as a ballet official, told Lownie that the names of Andrew’s guests “were not given to the ENB”.
“It was suspected they consisted of mistresses, one a yoga teacher, and various businessmen. The chairman was allowed in at [intermission] for a drink.”
It comes after a wave of new controversy surrounding Andrew coinciding with the release of a posthumous memoir by his sex abuse accuser, Virginia Giuffre, this week.
As harrowing details of her allegations about their three sexual encounters – including one when she was just 17 – emerged, a flurry of other headlines have also been generated about his behaviour.
Earlier this week, it was reported that concerns over his activities were raised by the UK’s security services as far back as four years ago, and reached the highest levels of government.
The prince was flagged as a national security risk as a result of his close ties to alleged Chinese spies, multiple sources told the UK’s Daily Telegraph.
It reports that the highest levels of government were alerted to alarm bells about the prince as early as 2021. Andrew has been at the centre of controversy surrounding his Chinese links, including his meetings with suspected spy Yang Tengbo, who was banned from the UK in 2023. The revelation generated headlines late last year and caused him to pull out of attending the royal family’s Christmas celebrations.
More recently, Andrew became embroiled in a scandal involving two suspected British spies who were allegedly working for Beijing. It’s reported by the Telegraph that Andrew himself had met with the Chinese official at the centre of the case, Cai Qui, at least three times.
Meanwhile, there are calls for legislation to formally remove Prince Andrew’s royal titles amid a wave of new claims about his relationship with Epstein.
As public pressure intensified, the King’s brother released a bombshell statement announcing he was giving up the use of his Duke of York title and other honours in order to no longer “distract” from the important work of the monarchy.
Despite his decision, which came after tense conversations with the King and Prince William, some British MPs are demanding an act of Parliament to formally strip him of his titles.
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