Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, is said to have survived at least two assassination attempts during his lifetime - one allegedly plotted by Argentina in the wake of the Falklands War and another by the Irish Republican Army - according to a new book that reexamines the scandals surrounding King Charles III's younger brother.
Historian Andrew Lownie details the claims in Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, which chronicles Andrew's turbulent life. RadarOnline.com reported that the book alleges the Argentine military junta actively considered sending special forces to kill Andrew while he vacationed in Mustique with actress Koo Stark in the early 1980s.
"The Argentine junta actively explored an assassination mission against Andrew after the Falklands. He had been a very visible helicopter pilot in the war, which made him a symbolic target," Lownie said. He added, "Later, when he went to Mustique with Koo Stark, intelligence sources told me there was talk of sending a submarine packed with special forces to eliminate him. It was never executed, but it was seriously considered."
A second plot, Lownie wrote, involved an IRA attempt to target Andrew on a golf course. "There were also plots by the IRA. One of the most credible involved an attempt to kill him on the golf course. Andrew's lax approach to his own security made him vulnerable. These were just two of many threats that cropped up during his life," he said.
The Falklands War, a 74-day conflict in 1982, left 649 Argentinians and 255 British personnel dead. Andrew, then a Royal Navy helicopter pilot, returned from the war a celebrated figure before becoming a focus of tabloid coverage when photographed on holiday with Stark.
Stark, now 69, later fought her own battles with the press. She successfully sued the Daily Mail in 2022 for describing her as a porn star, with her lawyer Francis Leonard telling the High Court that the 1976 film The Awakening of Emily, in which she appeared, was a "coming-of-age drama" rather than pornography.
Lownie's book also revisits Andrew's connection to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. He claimed: "Jeffrey Epstein provided women and course then used it to blackmail people, and Andrew, I'm afraid, fell into that honey trap, not just with Epstein but many other people as well. He's so stupid he doesn't realise how stupid he is."
The historian added: "He was called 'Randy Andy,' even at school. He's clearly highly sexed. Various numbers have been quoted at me ranging from 1,000 to 3,000 women that he slept with. He was good-looking, he was a prince and women threw themselves at him. He was a notch on their bedpost, and he took advantage of that."
A source told RadarOnline.com: "What stands out is just how careless Andrew has always been, in his relationships and with his own safety. He seems blind to any risks, whether from hostile powers overseas, terrorist groups in Britain, or even those within his inner circle. That complacency and arrogance have been central to his undoing."
Andrew, 64, was forced to step back from public duties after settling a civil case with Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexual assault - allegations he has consistently denied. The settlement, coupled with the Epstein scandal, stripped him of his military titles and royal patronages, cementing his fall from public life.
