Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor accused of ‘physical altercation’ with senior aide of Queen Elizabeth
The former Duke of York is said to have lashed out at vice-admiral Tony Johnstone-Burt, master of the royal household, after he was told that he could not accommodate a business event at Buckingham Palace.The altercation was described as a “kinetic” blow that caused astonishment within the royal household, a senior member of staff told royal author Robert Hardman.“It was a routine household matter. The duke wanted to have a reception and there wasn’t any room. It was as simple as that,” a senior member of staff told Mr Hardman in an excerpt from his book Elizabeth II, which has been serialised in the Daily Mail.I gather you’ve been calling people and causing problems“Tony said he’d have to wait his turn like anybody else and the duke went for him.”Mr Johnstone-Burt , who has been master of the household since 2013 and remains in the position working for King Charles, is said to have reported the altercation to Earl Peel, the lord chamberlain who is the most senior member of the royal institution.He raised it with the then prince Charles, who then allegedly spoke to his brother about the incident. It has been reported that the lord chamberlain then received a call from Mr Mountbatten-Windsor who allegedly said: “I gather you’ve been calling people and causing problems.”In another alleged incident in Windsor, grooms had been riding some of the queen’s horses on one of her estates when an approaching car was seen to be revving the engine “aggressively”.Mr Hardman wrote that the car pulled alongside Mr Mountbatten-Windsor, who “bellowed” at the driver: “Who the f**k do you think you are?”He added that the former duke demanded her name before taking it up with the queen in person.King Charles, who was then a prince, spoke to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor about the incident. Photo: Aaron Chown/PAThe book also describes the anger within the royal household when Mr Mountbatten-Windsor went against advice and recorded the infamous 2019 Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis in the palace about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.Mr Peel said he “had an overriding belief that he was better than the rest of us”.Mr Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his military roles and use of “his royal highness” title in January 2022, a month before he settled a legal dispute with one of Epstein’s victims Virginia Giuffre. She alleged that she was assaulted by the former prince.On 22 March, Mr Mountbatten-Windsor was pictured for the first time since his arrest. The 66-year-old was seen walking his dogs in the grounds around his new home, Marsh Farm, on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.Buckingham Palace and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor have both been contacted for a comment. (© The Independent)
