Speaking at the Oxford Literary Festival, Lownie outlined claims about the late queen’s condition and Andrew’s conduct during her final years before she died in 2022 aged 96.
The allegations come amid ongoing fallout from Andrew’s association with pedophile Epstein, which led to his removal from royal duties and the stripping of his honorary titles by his brother, King Charles III, 77.
A royal insider told us: “The suggestion that Andrew Windsor bullied his doting mother in her final years will be deeply troubling to many who followed the late Queen’s reign.
“Claims he exploited her completely ‘gaga’ mental state, as Lownie puts it, are particularly stark and will inevitably provoke new debate about what was really happening behind palace doors.”
A palace source added: “Even as allegations, the language being used here is explosive and underscores how contentious Andrew’s position has become within the broader narrative of the monarchy.”
Lownie wrote in his book: “By the end of (Queen Elizabeth’s) life, what people don’t realize is that she was completely gaga. (Andrew) would go up there and he would bully her into doing things. So for the last few years of her life, (King) Charles actually was running the show, rather than the Queen.”
He added: “She, I’m afraid, abetted this. The whole family abetted this – they knew about it.”
The author argued the Queen’s affection for Andrew – widely regarded as her favorite son – may have contributed to her willingness to support him despite mounting controversies.
Lownie suggests this dynamic had implications for how decisions were made within the royal household during her final years.