Royal Author Claims "Lack of Royal Status" Is "What Most Annoys" Prince Andrew, as He Has No "Sense of Identity" Without It

A new biography about Prince Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, is stirring up interest in the troubled royal once again. Friends of Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie have already claimed that, because of the new book, the pair are "innocent victims" in their father's shadow. Now, a royal author has revealed how the Duke of York has handled the fallout from his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which saw him retire from public life.

In the forthcoming biography Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, author Andrew Lownie explores every facet of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson's lives. In an interview with Sky News ahead of the book's release, Lownie said of Prince Andrew, "What most annoys him is his lack of a royal status."

The biographer continued, "That's what really sort of gave him his whole sense of identity. And that's, you know, it's not being able to put on his uniforms and strut around and being self-important."

As for whether or not Prince Andrew might be invited back as a senior member of the Royal Family, Lownie told the outlet, "I don't think he has any public future. I would say his private future is pretty limited too." Revealing how Prince Andrew allegedly spends his days, Lownie claimed, "I mean, he lives in Royal Lodge [on the Windsor Estate], he plays golf, watches TV, and presumably sees his grandchildren...he's living the life of a retired man."

Conversely, one of Ferguson's friends claimed the biography wasn't a big deal to the York family, telling the Daily Beast, "The family have been pilloried and bullied by the British press for generations, so they're well used to it by now."