Inside ex-prince Andrew's 'bleak' days in exile

• Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former prince, was arrested in February and faces an uncertain future amid ongoing police investigations.
• Biographer Andrew Lownie describes the former prince's current life as "bleak," noting he spends his time playing video games late into the night.
• Lownie's updated book also details new allegations of past inappropriate behavior by Andrew toward women.

LONDON – Stripped of his royal titles, evicted from his sprawling mansion and arrested by British police in February, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor faces an uncertain future.

Ongoing police investigations could result in a criminal trial – and possible jail time. Now the former prince awaits his fate at Marsh Farm, part of King Charles' Sandringham estate. Biographer Andrew Lownie describes Andrew's reality as "bleak" and in stark contrast to the life he once led. “His life is very empty at the moment,” Lownie tells USA TODAY ahead of the release of the paperback update of his book “Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York,” which will be released in the United States on May 26.

Notably, according to Lownie, the former prince – once known to enjoy high-profile events, travel and dinners – spends his time obsessively playing video games late into the night. It is “not uncommon” for Andrew to “stay up all night playing Call of Duty,” Lownie says sources have told him, adding that Andrew “prioritizes gaming over work, health and hygiene."

Lownie says that Andrew, who served in the Royal Navy for more than two decades, now ranks gaming above all else in life. "He loves war games with helicopters," Lownie writes. "The video games provide him with the instant gratification that his actual life most often is devoid of."

Former Prince Andrew's 'reckoning' was a long time coming

Andrew's fall from grace has been unprecedented. Lownie explores those recent events and how they've rocked the royal family in a new, updated chapter of his book titled "The Reckoning."

Lownie's reporting delves into Andrew’s history of alleged “predatory behavior,” for which Lownie says the fallen prince may finally have to face consequences.

Among the string of fresh revelations: Andrew’s alleged inappropriate behavior towards women, including an incident Lownie describes that involved a British Airways employee.

Lownie writes that Andrew had a history of lewd behavior, including around the time when he allegedly paid to have sex with Virginia Guiffre in 2001. In a 2004 incident, according to the book, police officer John Longmuir witnessed an airline crew member put her hand out to greet Andrew, and he responded by pulling the woman towards him and spinning her around. Andrew then “bent her forward so that his groin was clearly and firmly in contact with her back-side,” Lownie writes.

Longmuir told Lownie that the former prince’s actions amounted to a “possible sexual assault, but there was no way” that British police or the airline would have taken further action at the time against a member of the royal family.

Lownie describes another incident on a British Airways flight to New York in 2010, writing that after Andrew asked for a bottle of water he moaned “it was too cold.” The airline employee “apologized and said all the water was in the chiller, so he undid his flies, shoved the bottle of water down his trousers and said, ‘This will warm it up.’”

The book suggests Andrew's questionable behavior stretched back years earlier. In one account, a longstanding friend of the royals stayed with the family at Sandringham some 20 years ago and attended a pheasant shoot. As guests gathered for hot soup and sausage rolls, Andrew's labrador "leapt and snatched" a sausage roll from the hand of a guest standing next to Andrew. While the guest laughed, Andrew "kicked the dog in the head, leaving him whimpering on the ground," Lownie writes.

The guest reacted in horror, telling Andrew he "should be ashamed" of his actions. Andrew reportedly responded: "It is none of your business and I will do precisely what I want to MY dogs."

That same evening Andrew's father, Prince Philip, praised the guest for calling out Andrew's behavior. "Andrew needs a good scolding from time to time," he said, according to Lownie.

'Police could turn up any day' for Andrew

The allegations over Andrew's association with Epstein and his conduct as trade envoy for the United Kingdom continue to plague him and the royal family. On May 21, the British government released a trove of documents relating to Andrew's appointment to the role, which he held from 2001 to 2011. The documents reveal that it was the Queen's "wish" for Andrew to fill the post, the BBC reported.

The release of trade envoy files comes after British police arrested Andrew on Feb. 19, his 66th birthday. Andrew was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public life, charges that relate to his role as U.K. trade envoy. Documents released by the U.S. Justice Department indicate that Andrew passed confidential government information to Epstein during his time in the role.

“The law must take its course," King Charles said in a statement amid his brother's arrest. The Palace no longer represents Andrew and declined to comment on Lownie's book. USA TODAY reached out to Andrew's attorney but did not hear back.

When the U.S. Justice Department released millions of documents as part of their Epstein investigation, images showed Andrew in compromising positions.

Andrew has said he regrets his friendship with Epstein and has continuously denied the allegations against him. In 2022, he reached an out-of-court settlement with Virginia Roberts Giuffre who said she was coerced as a teenager into repeatedly having sex with the former prince as part of Epstein’s sex-trafficking ring. Giuffre died by suicide in 2025.

Giuffre's family called on King Charles to meet with survivors during his recent state visit to the United States, but the monarch declined, saying it could impact any developments in the case. "We fully understand and appreciate the survivors’ and their advocates' position. But can only reiterate that anything arising from such meeting that could potentially impact on ongoing police inquiries and assessments," a palace spokesperson said in a statement to USA TODAY at the time.

Before the birth of his nephew Prince William, Andrew was second in line to the British throne for over 20 years. Now, he is alienated and estranged from his “fractured” family, Lownie says. “He doesn’t know what is going to happen, the police could turn up any day.”

While the former prince faces an uncertain future, Lownie notes it is in Andrew's nature to remain confident he will escape charges. "I don't think he really accepts he's done anything wrong," Lownie says. "He feels he's been penalized. ... He's shown no remorse.

“He just thinks he’s invincible," Lownie says, "that he’s the master of the universe.”

Contributing: Kim Hjelmgaard