Andrew Lownie's "Entitled" talk at AlumniFestival, University of Cambridge

[QuenchedSquirrel]

Here's a link to the talk on YouTube: Andrew Lownie describes "Entitled" as a book about financial corruption by a senior royal.

We stumbled on this while trying to find out who wrote the book! It was fascinating from the point of view of how the book was written as well as what he seemed free to say to his audience. There is no hint of a case for slander or libel from any of the named names.
The unknown baby and unknown mistress must be waiting for the tabloids to arrive. Presumably she was passed off as staff.
The Portuguese dog poo picking couple though😨

I remember thinking the same. In fact my own relationship was on the rocks at the time of their wedding and I remember feeling a pang, and thinking how bloody proud her parents looked as they stood on the balcony with the Queen and their newly married-into-royalty daughter.

That seems like an eon ago in terms of my attitude.

Today I would absolutely NOT be delighted at the thought of my daughter marrying into this deeply dysfunctional family.

Catherine was too good for them, and I would argue, is what is saving them. If there were scandals about Catherine, it would all be over in my opinion.

The Middletons (mother especially) were painted as ambitious social ladder climbers by the press, who pushed their daughter onto William, but I have no idea how true it was. Seemed like nasty tabloid gossip at the time. But in hindsight, with the gift of maturity, all the Diana stuff had come out. Fergie was out the family. Diana was dead, pursued by paparazzi. Prior to that there was the Margaret scandals and various other scandals in-between. Would I have wanted my daughter marrying into that? No. I would have pleaded with her to think twice and sent her on a very long holiday outside the UK during the temporary breakup in the hopes she'd move on.

Catherine today could have been a very well to do upper MC mum, living quietly in anonymity. Going anywhere she wants without scrutiny. Now, she cannot even be ill without the press demanding to know what's going on. Called Waity Katy for years and work shy. The nasty revelations by the Sussexes. Now Lownie hinting at financial excesses. I too, wonder whether her parents are happy about it all now. You hardly hear about Pippa, who seems to have a happy ordinary life.

Edited punctuation

Perhaps a case of be careful what you wish for…

Pippa an ‘ordinary life’…I know what you mean but lol…Has AL hinted at Wales excesses?

He's hinted that there needs to be an auditing and transparency of the entire Monarchy's spending.

I personally believe Lownie is out on a mission to expose the House of Windsor...I said on another post that whilst I don't doubt his credibility, and that he is doing us all a service, his motivations are suspect, in my personal opinion.

Yes I use 'ordinary' with a lot of seasoning...😂

But by that logic, you should feel somewhat sorry for Andrew too and not condemn him: he also had a strange upbringing; he has been in turn spoiled and pampered and sent away from his parents to be educated. He grew up among people who think it’s normal to bow to and even obey someone simply due to their family heritage. His mother made him the golden child amongst a family already gilded with privilege. He was allowed to get away with anything simply by dint of his royalty. So if he is a monster, he was created by the RF and all that comes with being a Royal.

And yet I do not feel any sympathy for him. I might understand the reasons for what appears to be some fairly depraved activity, but I don’t feel sorry for him at all. I do not believe, in similar circumstances, many of us would grow up to behave the way Andrew has behaved.

In the same way I don’t excuse Beatrice or Eugenia at all for crossing the line, if they have done so. They should have known better. They have had an opportunity for a good education, they know right from wrong. If they choose to behave badly then it’s on them. They have the financial independence to say No to their parents; they should have exercised that independence not gone along with their parents dark dealings.

Yes, Lownie is clearly extremely posh himself - went to the ‘right’ boarding schools, Oxbridge etc and still moves in those circles. Casually mentioned having dinner with the toe-sucking scandal guy while in LA, his best friend from prep school was at Gordonstone (sp?) with Andrew and knew he was lazy, etc.

Maybe that helps protect Lownie from worrying too much about retribution? It means he has more access than regular people because he sounds right, like one of them, I suppose. He’s too tied up in this upper class world to easily be made to quietly disappear (unlike that BBC journalist, how awful that her investigative work was stolen for another programme without any credit! I had no idea). He must have plenty of money too, mentioned having to remortgage his house to pay half a million pounds in legal fees related to a previous book on the RF which would ruin most people…

I thought he could have stood to put more focus on Andrew’s victims. A bit glib, talking about ‘ordering takekout’, “honey traps” and “needing massages” rather than always calling it plainly sex abuse, trafficking, prostitution, statutory rape, etc. Not a fan of that.

And Church goers all of them!

I expect the language he has used in his book and interviews is heavily influenced by his publisher and legal advisory team. If someone is hired as a masseuse and there’s no direct evidence of prostitution then he will need to stick on the safe side and call it a massage. I mean, perhaps he had sciatica and needed a massage to relieve his back pain - who knows?

The public will read between the lines anyway - if it’s 40 proven prostitutes in 4 days in one overseas trip, what’s the chance his masseuses are not providing additional services at least from time to time?

Let’s hope he kept “all that” away from the little boy who was living in the Lodge for five years without anyone knowing. What a strange childhood he must have had.

I am astonished at how brazen some of his facts are - he must be so sure he can’t be sued for libel or slander.

Interesting that he mentioned his book had what was it, 18 proofs, whilst the publisher and lawyers pored over the detail so figure out what they dared to print. I think he wanted to print more, but they were scared to. I would love to know what was contained in the pages they removed from the book as being too risky to print! Presumably the facts too difficult to prove incontrovertibly, and you wouldn’t want one fact to be proven slightly or completely wrong, as that would discredit the whole book.

Yes, I am very curious what was on the missing 20 pages of the book! Other revelations about Andrew?? (Any other missing kids stashed away from all those women?) Must have been some very interesting conversations back and forth between Lownie and his publishers and their lawyers…

I got the impression that the reason Lownie seemed so relaxed and let slip so many extra details was because it was at an alumni event - he might have felt he was among friends, back in his old uni and could speak more freely. Of course he would have known it would be recorded and broadcast over the internet too but it could be a different vibe for him than say being interviewed about the book in the newspapers or on TV. I’m glad we could be flies on the wall and listen too! I never knew any of this was going on!

yes exactly. I grew up in the Church - I actually listened. I might not have a strong faith now, but I know what’s right and what’s wrong. Andrew goes to church and clearly doesn’t listen at all. “Blah blah blah this doesn’t apply to me cos I’m special and above all of this.” Sickening attitude.

I believe in forgiveness but I struggle to forgive openly unless there is real remorse and an attempt to repair or redeem.

I really truly hope there is a heaven and a hell in the life hereafter, as there are some people who deserve to go down below and stay there.

I'd agree that his choice of words is to avoid lawsuits. But some of what he says openly is jawdropping. I like his idea that Fergie will bounce back in some form...she makes me think of a Jilly Cooper character.

Vile entitled people Andrew and sf

and you wouldn’t want one fact to be proven slightly or completely wrong, as that would discredit the whole book

Exactly. Which makes what IS in the book so astounding.

If forty prostitutes, masseuses picked up from Heathrow every Sunday, and a boy who looks just like him are mentioned, what on earth were the parts that were too risky?

None of the book has been questioned at all, Lownie hasn't been told to expect lawyers at his door, no wonder Charles told his brother he had to lose everything or he was in danger of bringing the whole monarchy down.

She clearly has an unbelievably thick skin! She is apparently magnetic & hugely likeable.

Yes I too have a misplaced 'bad girl come good' affinity for Fergie.

Apparently she will go abroad to Sweden or something(?)

Even that has a romantic spin: 'The exiled Duchess', very Vanity Fairish. She's a Rebecca Sharp.

Guarantee 100 years from now she will outdo the rest of the Royals for historical interest. Although I imagine any comeback will be very unlikely.

Thanks for this OP, I’ve just watched it. It just keeps getting worse. He’s absolutely revolting.

Listened to a another Lownie interview where he was surprisingly damning on Princesses B & E. He also thinks/knows far more damaging to come.

👍
Yes, I think Lownie has done an extraordinary job bringing this all to light with what seems to be dogged determination.

“I thought he could have stood to put more focus on Andrew’s victims. A bit glib, talking about ‘ordering takekout’, “honey traps” and “needing massages” rather than always calling it plainly sex abuse, trafficking, prostitution, statutory rape, etc. Not a fan of that.”

You are spot on with this too, in my opinion.

Another phrase he said bothered me too & that was that Epstein and Andrew ‘both loved women’. No, they didn’t. That is not love. And those girls were not women.

He seems curiously disassociated and seemed almost to be feeding off it all at the same time. There is something a bit odd about him. He makes me feel uneasy.

I think Lownie comes across as someone who probably would normally like the monarchy but this lot have totally disgusted him.

I think he says in the talk that he's a disillusioned monarchist.

Yes, I’ve heard that too about Sarah but I don’t understand it. Maybe you have to meet her in real life to see the charm.

At any rate she’s been living this way for years - before Andrew too, so I guess that if anyone can bounce back it’s Sarah. She’s had lots of practice. I’d be tempted to admire her audacity. But friends with Epstein after he was convicted? That appeasing email to him? Taking money from him? Can anyone bounce back from that? Maybe. Look who has been elected president of the US. Twice.

I think if you scrutinised almost any of the Royals you’d see what many would now imagine to be shocking excess. It seems extraordinary to me that the household staff & protection officers earn little & still have to show deference.

Here's a Daily Beast interview with Andrew Lownie from yesterday about the current fallout, and what might happen.

He mentions all the backlash he's received from "their" team. Including slurs that he was interested in young girls.

He thinks Andrew MW might have to go abroad to a country (MIddle East...) with no extradition arrangements with the UK in order to escape eventual prosecution.

Lownie has two or three people a day coming forward with more information, apparently, including former protection officers.

He talks about the forty prostitutes who Mountbatten Windsor shared with an Arab prince in Thailand, and later going on a trip with his mistress of the time. In Hong Kong he took over the floor of a hotel and had prostitutes there. He opened a golf course and asked for sixteen year old blondes to be brought to him!