Since his eviction from Royal Lodge in February, there have been reports that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been spending time with a new flame.

Aliba Bellingham, a British socialite and keen horsewoman,denied claims that she was the former royal’s new girlfriend in an interview with the Mail on Sunday earlier this week.

“There’s no question of me being a ‘girlfriend’; we’re just acquaintances,” she told the outlet. “I think the rumours began when an American journalist got to hear I’d been to tea with him, and then made two plus two equal five.” 

But who is Aliba Bellingham and what is her connection to Andrew?

A childhood family friend 

Aliba has known Andrew since she was a child. Her brother Henry was a Conservative MP for North West Norfolk and a minister at the Foreign Office until he was made a life peer in 2020. 

He told the Mail on Sunday that because his family seat is close to Sandringham, he and Aliba had were regular childhood playmates of Andrew, Prince Edward, and Princess Anne.

‘Won’t dwell on the past’

Aliba, who splits her time between London and Norfolk, has been seen visiting his new home, Marsh Farm and is a keen equestrian as well as a member of the posh Norfolk social group known as the Turnip Toffs. 

She added to the publication that she and Andrew bond over a number of their shared interests, which include their love of dogs and horses.

Former Conservative MP Henry Bellingham (right) is Aliba's brother© AFP via Getty Images

Former Conservative MP Henry Bellingham (right) is Aliba’s brother

“We hang out from time to time and talk about horses and dogs – that’s what we have in common. We get on well. He loves his horses.

“I’m not the sort of person to dwell on things in another person’s past. I think Andrew has found Norfolk to be a very welcoming area and that he’ll enjoy living here.”

Aliba reportedly has a caravan where she can be close to her horses while staying in Norfolk.

Aliba’s other royal link 

As well as her close family ties with the Firm, Aliba’s godmother was the late Frances Shand Kydd, mother of Lady Diana Spencer, who also grew up nearby in Norfolk.