Infamous Podcast — "In Case You Missed It: Prince Andrew and Epstein"

Date: October 23, 2025
Host(s): Vanessa Grigoriadis
Guest: Andrew Lowney (Royal Biographer)
Theme: A deep dive into Prince Andrew's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the consequences of recent scandals for Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, and the broader context of power, privilege, and cover-ups within the British royal family.

Episode Overview

This episode, a re-drop due to previous technical issues, revisits the explosive scandal linking Prince Andrew to Jeffrey Epstein. With Prince Andrew recently stripped of his Duke of York title and renewed media attention, the show brings on royal biographer Andrew Lowney to dissect the relationship between Andrew, Epstein, and Sarah Ferguson, explore allegations, and assess the fallout for the royal family.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. How Did Prince Andrew & Epstein Meet? (03:10–04:03)

• Conflicting Origin Stories:
  • Andrew may have met Epstein via Ghislaine Maxwell in the 1980s (Andrew Lowney’s source) or through Sarah Ferguson ("Fergie") in 1990s New York social circles. (03:17)
  • "[Sarah] has more numbers in Epstein’s black book than Andrew does… In some ways, everyone’s focused on Epstein and Andrew, but they should really be looking at Sarah's relationship with Epstein." — Andrew Lowney (03:55)

2. Sarah Ferguson's Role & Motivations (04:03–08:09)

• Background:

  • Sarah Ferguson—royal outsider, reinvented as a brand ambassador post-divorce.
  • Early prototype for "Monetizing Royalty", likened to Meghan Markle for her independence and commercial savvy but "with a bit more charm and success."

• Staying Close to Andrew:

  • "If she was Ms. Sarah Ferguson, no one would pay her to do anything. While she’s Duchess of York… she still has the fairy dust." — Andrew Lowney (06:25)
  • They live together decades post-divorce, leveraging royal association for wealth and status.

• Financial Standing:

  • Myths about Andrew's lack of funds dispelled; both have significant means and perks from royal connections.
  • "They could have had an easy life… but they’re greedy and want to live a sort of jet-set life… they know they can make this money, that they're protected...for 30 years just basically shamelessly monetizing their position in the royal family." — Andrew Lowney (07:34)

3. Parallels to Harry and Meghan (08:09–09:05)

• Both couples challenged royal norms, leveraging fame and yearning for celebrity relevance.
• "A lot of similarities… two weak men with much stronger, more ambitious wives hoping to be half in, half out of the royal family..." — Andrew Lowney (08:28)

4. Andrew’s Intelligence Ties & Kompromat (09:05–11:03)

• Andrew’s network: As a royal, trade envoy, and military figure, he “picked up information… that could be useful elsewhere.”
• Substantial “kompromat” (compromising material) could be used to blackmail him.
• Robert Maxwell (Ghislaine’s father) "was the guy who set up Epstein, financed him...Epstein’s big skill was hiding money for people." — Andrew Lowney (10:20)

5. Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and the Web of Favors (14:00–16:22)

• The $30M to Ghislaine Maxwell seen as "her father’s money being passed to Epstein but just being passed back to Ghislaine." — Andrew Lowney (14:29)
• Ghislaine instrumental as Epstein’s social facilitator and alleged "procurer."
• "Everything is transactional. Everything is a commodity."
• On the triad dynamic: "They all were able to network using each other’s group of networks, and that made them much, much more effective." — Andrew Lowney (15:47)

6. Did Andrew Know About Epstein’s Crimes? (16:22–17:58)

• Direct accusation: Andrew knowingly frequented Epstein’s highly sexualized environments full of young girls.

  • "Anyone who went to the houses said it was pretty obvious...the evidence is incontrovertible." — Andrew Lowney (16:46, 19:49)

• Epstein financially supported Fergie’s debts; sums likely far higher than publicly admitted.

• Epstein wielded leverage over Andrew post-Palm Beach, including in 2010.

7. The Trump Connection (17:58–18:59)

• Locker room–style conversations between Trump and Andrew; not high-minded, but "joint interest in women."
• "When Trump and Andrew met, they had sort of locker room conversations...talking about women in pretty vulgar terms." — Andrew Lowney (18:28)

8. The Newsnight Interview & Public Image (18:59–20:42)

• Andrew’s TV interview seen as a disaster; tried to discredit photographic and testimonial evidence.
• Coordinated PR efforts to attack accuser Virginia Giuffre.
• "This is a genuine photo. That’s a complete red herring...the evidence is incontrovertible." — Andrew Lowney (19:49)

9. Consequences Within the Royal Family (20:42–22:12)

• Mixed signals: Stepped down from royal duties, but Queen Elizabeth continued to support Andrew publicly.

• Charities, military associations were the entities that acted to distance themselves; the family followed.

• Motivation for continued proximity: Fear of Andrew and Sarah leaking stories to the press if alienated.

10. Legal Exposure & Potential Charges (22:12–24:26)

• Risk of being called as witness if he sets foot in the US.
• "These aren't the marks of an innocent man. This is a man using every device possible to try and get himself off." — Andrew Lowney (22:15)
• Speculation about other allegations, including trafficking, possible prosecutions in the UK.
• Victims’ reluctance to come forward due to trauma and life priorities seen as Andrew’s likely shield.

11. Abuse of Public Office (24:26–26:11)

• Andrew’s decade as taxpayer-funded Trade Envoy riddled with conflicts of interest, alleged self-enrichment.
• "No one is above the law. And this role was one he had as a taxpayer funded civil servant... and we should have some scrutiny of who he was taking, who he was seeing, what he was doing." — Andrew Lowney (25:47)

12. Family Dynamics: Charles, William, Kate (29:33–31:20)

• King Charles: Complex relationship, simultaneously aware of PR damage and protective of his brother.
• Prince William: Detests Andrew, sees him as a symbol of all the royal family is trying to change.
• "William is very protective of his wife, and so there’s no love lost there... if he becomes king very soon, I think Andrew is complete toast." — Andrew Lowney (29:40)

13. The Impact of Virginia Giuffre’s Death (31:20–32:08)

• "Her death is very sad. It’s changed the sympathies... we’re never now going to be able to quiz her to get more information from her." — Andrew Lowney

14. Legacy, the Unreleased Epstein Files, and Cover-Ups (32:08–36:11)

• FBI in possession of extensive material; little has leaked.
• Suggestion that "threatening to leak" has more power than actual disclosures.
• "There is an establishment cover-up here to protect Andrew." — Andrew Lowney (34:35)
• Story resonates as an emblem of the impunity of the rich and powerful, both in the UK and US.

Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• "[Sarah] has more numbers in Epstein’s black book than Andrew does…everyone’s focused on Epstein and Andrew, but they should really be looking at Sarah's relationship with Epstein." — Andrew Lowney (03:55)

• "If she was Ms. Sarah Ferguson, no one would pay her to do anything. While she’s Duchess of York… she still has the fairy dust, and that’s what she’s selling." — Andrew Lowney (06:25)

• "They could have had an easy life… but they’re greedy and want to live a sort of jet-set life…for 30 years just basically shamelessly monetizing their position in the royal family." — Andrew Lowney (07:34)

• "Everything is transactional. Everything is a commodity." — Andrew Lowney (15:47)

• "Anyone who went to the houses said it was pretty obvious...the evidence is incontrovertible." — Andrew Lowney (16:46, 19:49)

• "When Trump and Andrew met, they had sort of locker room conversations...talking about women in pretty vulgar terms." — Andrew Lowney (18:28)

• "These aren't the marks of an innocent man. This is a man using every device possible to try and get himself off." — Andrew Lowney (22:15)

• "No one is above the law. And this role was one he had as a taxpayer funded civil servant... we should have some scrutiny of who he was taking, who he was seeing, what he was doing." — Andrew Lowney (25:47)

• "There is an establishment cover-up here to protect Andrew." — Andrew Lowney (34:35)

Important Timestamps

• 03:10 – How Andrew met Epstein
• 04:03 – Sarah Ferguson’s social connections
• 06:25 – Why Sarah remains close to Andrew
• 07:34 – Discussion on royal monetization, comparing Sarah (and Andrew) to Harry and Meghan
• 09:36 – Andrew’s intelligence contacts and risk of blackmail
• 14:29 – Epstein’s financial ties to Ghislaine and Sarah
• 16:46 – Awareness of Epstein’s criminality
• 17:27 – Epstein’s financial “help” for Andrew and Sarah
• 18:28 – Trump and Andrew’s "locker room" relationship
• 19:49 – The discredited Newsnight denials and PR attacks on Giuffre
• 22:15 – Potential for US legal action, Andrew’s avoidance tactics
• 24:33 – Alleged abuse of the Special Trade Representative role
• 29:40 – The family’s attitude toward Andrew
• 31:20 – Impact of Virginia Giuffre’s death
• 32:49 – FBI files, threat of new evidence emerging
• 34:35 – Broader significance and culture of cover-up

Final Thoughts

Andrew Lowney paints a damning portrait of Prince Andrew and his circle, describing a decades-long pattern of entitlement, greed, and scandal facilitated by royal privilege and establishment cover-ups. The episode links personal failings and criminal associations to systemic issues of wealth and power, and leaves open major questions about future accountability—not just for Andrew but for the royal family and those in their orbit.

Highly recommended for anyone wanting a thorough, journalistic account of the continuing Prince Andrew–Epstein saga, told with candor, depth, and a critical lens.