Late Queen's blind spot for Andrew led to his downfall

Author Nigel Cawthorne examines how, in her fondness for her child, Elizabeth failed to see what was evident to others

- Nigel Cawthorne

The former Prince Andrew has made an undignified descent from Buckingham Palace to a police cell.

His inexorable fall has been long and hard, but he has been protected by royal privilege almost every inch of the way. If the allegations of sexual misconduct, first made over 10 years ago and which he strongly denies, were not bad enough, the news that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is being investigated on suspicion of misconduct in public office could be his undoing.

Follow the money, and a curious picture emerges. There was the mysterious sale of his marital home, Sunninghill Park, bought in 2007 at £3m over the asking price by the billionaire son-in-law of the long-serving Kazakh president, who later knocked it down. Then there was a private business under a strange name, when in 2002, the then prince set up the company Naples Gold with Swedish millionaire Johan Eliasch using the pseudonym Andrew Inverness. His job title was “professional consultant”, and the date of birth on the company’s records was 19 February 1960, the same as Andrew’s birthday.

A creditor of the luxury ski company Descent International was one “Andrew Inverness, care of Buckingham Palace”. When the company collapsed in 2009, a spokesperson for the liquidator told reporters: “We understand that to be Prince Andrew.”

But it is to his appointment as a UK trade envoy between 2001 and 2011 that renewed attention is being brought. In this role, the then duke travelled globally and enjoyed privileged access to senior government and business contacts around the world. King Charles - who was then Prince of Wales - reportedly strongly objected to his brother’s appointment, warning that it would be disastrous, but his sage advice was ignored by the Queen, who approved of her favourite son taking up the role.