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Prince Andrew made a habit of seating his potential conquests on the Queen’s throne at Buckingham Palace as part of a routine to woo them, The Daily Beast understands, after a friend of the model Caprice said Andrew allowed her to sit on the throne as part of a date.
Another woman told The Daily Beast last year that when invited to dinner with Andrew in his private quarters (a modest one bedroom apartment) at Buckingham Palace she was invited to sit on the throne and also led on to the balcony where she was encouraged to wave to imaginary crowds.
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A source subsequently told The Daily Beast it was one of Andrew's signature moves when wooing.
The new account comes courtesy of a “friend” of the model, Caprice Bourret, who told The Sun on Sunday: “He took her to Buckingham Palace twice, and on one occasion she sat on the Queen’s throne. She spotted a bowl she liked and asked Andrew if she could steal it and [mail] it to her mom. She claims that he let her, and her mom loved it!”
Although the relationship did not progress, the friend says: “As an American, she was thoroughly entertained at the notion he was a part of the Royal Family. Plus all the secretive rendezvous, although unnecessary, were a great family dinner conversation point.”
Prince Harry, who was 16, was reportedly jealous of his uncle because he “had Caprice’s calendar on his bedroom wall” at his boarding school, Eton College.
In July last year, The Daily Beast reported that Andrew invited a friend of Ghislaine Maxwell to an intimate dinner for four at his apartment at Buckingham Palace.
Our source recalled that, “it was clear immediately that I had been brought to the dinner as a sex object. Andrew sat next to me on the sofa and kept reaching over to hold my hand.
“I said as a joke, ‘I’d love to go on a tour of this place’ and next thing I knew, I was walking hand in hand with Prince Andrew through Buckingham Palace. As a joke, he took me out on the balcony and I waved to the non-existent crowd.”
The woman also told The Daily Beast she had been invited to sit on the throne, but we did not report this detail in the story at the time, which was about the connections between Andrew, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
However when discussing the story with a well-placed source subsequently, the insider told The Daily Beast: “Everyone thinks they are the only person to get to sit on the throne. He does it to everyone he is trying to pull.”
The Throne Room at Buckingham Palace is one of the most recognizable spaces in the palace as it is often used as the venue for investitures and other ceremonies. It has two adjacent thrones on a raised dais. One is for the monarch and one is for their partner; our source said Andrew invited them to try both out.
