By Molly Claire Goddard
2:40pm PST, Jan 26, 2026
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After Queen Elizabeth II gifted Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and his ex-wife,
Sarah Ferguson, a mansion in Sunninghill Park, the former Duke of York sold it to an oligarch. "The sale itself tells us more about the kind of man Andrew is — selling his mother's wedding present with no consequences," royal journalist
Isabel Hardman wrote for
iPaper.
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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor wasn't stripped of his titles until years after Queen Elizabeth II's 2022 death. "His mother seemed to indulge his behavior, or at least remain in denial that it was happening at all. But there was also a lack of accountability in public life more widely," Isabel Hardman said.
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According to royal biographer
Tina Brown, Queen Elizabeth II had a soft spot for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. "He [Andrew] was her favorite," she said during an appearance on
The New York Times' "
The Interview" podcast. "She protected him and mommy was his only client, essentially. She was the one who protected him, so unfortunately, it made him worse."
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Despite Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's ties to Jeffrey Epstein being clear before Queen Elizabeth II's passing, no one would pressure her to banish her son. "The Queen was there for 70 years, right? The hagiography around The Queen is intense, you know? I mean, you're not allowed to ever criticize The Queen," Tina Brown said.
