Andrew stumps up to stay safe
King Charles may want Prince Andrew out of Royal Lodge, but Andrew has reportedly figured out a way to stay put while financing his own security.
This follows Charles axing an annual $3.79m royal handout Andrew used to receive for guards at Royal Lodge. Now, the Sun on Sunday reports, Andrew has “negotiated a cheaper protection deal at his leased home which he refuses to leave. His plan is believed to be bankrolled by Middle East money.”
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A source told the paper: “He has his security but at a cheaper rate and he is managing to finance it himself. He has dug his heels in and is refusing to move so found a way to finance his security. How sustainable in the long term, then who knows how long he can do it for.”
The rift between Charles and Andrew has “matured into outright hostility,” the Sunday Times reports, in an extensive analysis of the brothers’ very different personalities and life paths.
The Sun on Sunday said Andrew amassed “business links in Asia and the Middle East” when he worked as a U.K. Special Representative for International Trade and Investment. His daughters Princess Beatrice and Eugenie have previously spoken at conferences in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi.
Hewitt: Bashir made me “most hated person in the world”
Princess Diana’s one-time lover James Hewitt has accused disgraced BBC Panorama journalist Martin Bashir of turning him into “the most hated person in the world.”
Bashir conducted the 1995 interview with Diana, in which the princess famously described then-Camilla Parker Bowles as the third person in her and husband Prince Charles’ relationship. (The interview took place 29 years ago this week.)
Diana also acknowledged her own extramarital relationship with Hewitt. “Yes, I was in love with him, but I was very let down,” she told Bashir.
Hewitt told the Sun on Sunday that Bashir—who an inquiry later concluded has used “deceitful means” to secure the interview and gain Diana’s trust—was a “toad” for tricking Diana into confirming their extramarital affair.
Hewitt told the paper: “I think the chap needs to seriously search his conscience. To do it by deception is unforgivable and there is very little road back from that. I don’t know him personally, but I think any underhandedness—and particularly if it’s taking advantage of someone’s weakness and being a toad—is wrong. It did affect me and it had a huge effect.”
Hewitt added: “I hope people realize that the whole of the program should be seen for what it was—and that was to deceive somebody into saying things and doing things that they may not necessarily have been willing to say had all the facts been known. It was not good for anybody except BBC figures and Martin Bashir’s career. It wasn’t exposing anything, it was just using lies and half-truths.”
Hewitt said he regretted not having had a “more normal existence” when it came to a family life: “I would have liked to have had children but there we are, you can’t have everything in life.”
Asked why he remained single, Hewitt said: “I think it’s pretty obvious given my history, and the difficulties thereafter, and having been the most hated person in the world.”
Meghan parties without Harry
Meghan Markle partied solo in Venice, California, to celebrate the launch of friend and A-lister hairdresser Kadi Lee’s Highbrow Hippie Hair Wellness range of products. “I am so proud to invest in [Kadi] as a friend and as a female founder,” Meghan told InStyle. “Kadi has a mastery of hair health, and her Highbrow Hippie collection is a perfect reflection of that.”
The Sun said the appearance would only fuel rumors that Meghan and husband Prince Harry were “drifting apart” (without presenting any compelling evidence of the same).
Meghan was joined by friend and makeup artist, Daniel Martin, as well as hairstylist Serge Normant, who styled Meghan’s hair for her wedding ceremony in 2018.
Another royal romance at St. Andrews?
It’s where Kate Middleton met Prince William, and now another royal romance may be underway at Scottish university St. Andrews. Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, 21-year-old daughter of Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie, currently in her third year of an English Literature degree, is dating 20-year-old fellow student Felix da Silva-Clamp.
The Mail reported that photos from a fundraiser for the university drama society showed her taking selfies with Felix, whose dad is a lawyer and whose mom works for the World Health Organization.
This week in royal history
Fire seriously damaged Windsor Castle on Nov. 20, 1992; on Nov. 20, 1995, Princess Diana’s Panorama interview was broadcast.
Unanswered questions
Will King Charles ever manage to evict Prince Andrew from Royal Lodge, or has the latter won the battle to stay put?
