A royal author has revealed the scathing nickname diplomats gave to Prince Andrew thanks to his questionable behaviour.
The nickname was coined during the Duke of York’s trips to the Middle East while he was Special Representative for International Trade and Investment for the UK Government.
Writing in his unauthorised biography about the Duke of York, Entitled, author Andrew Lownie recalls the events of a trip to Bahrain on one of his first trips as a special representative which left a lasting impression on the foreign service.
He wrote: ‘Accompanied by his equerry Robert Olney, assistant private secretary Stephen Harrison, two protection officers, lady clerk and valet, he spent two days in Bahrain, working closely with the ambassador, Peter Ford, and his deputy Simon Wilson.
‘Top of the agenda for the visit was the sale of British-made Hawk aircraft, but to everyone’s astonishment Andrew ignored his official brief and suggested to the king, Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, that it made better financial sense to lease them.’
The Bahrain government did subsequently buy the aircraft four years later, but not thanks to the behaviour of the Duke.
Thanks to his behaviour, Simon Wilson revealed to Lownie that diplomats from the gulf called Andrew ‘HBH: His Buffoon Highness’.
Wilson said that the nickname ‘stemmed from his [Andrew’s] childish obsession with doing exactly the opposite of what had been agreed in pre-visit meetings with his staff.
Prince Andrew with King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain in 2017. Diplomats in the gulf coined a scathing nickname for the Duke of York
Dubai then Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum with Andrew in 2001. Andrew’s behaviour in the Gulf was so memorable it has became ‘part of the folklore of the diplomatic service’
‘He frequently refused to follow his brief – we wondered if he had actually read it – and appeared to regard himself as an expert in every matter.’
Lownie also claimed that ‘Despite copious meetings in advance of any visit, including briefings by senior officials from the Department of Trade and Industry, the Prince usually ignored all advice and plunged straight in.’
Andrew’s behaviour in the Gulf was so memorable it has became ‘part of the folklore of the diplomatic service’.
Wilson told Lownie this was ‘because of the reams of instructions about his likes and dislikes – ranging from demands that the drinking water should be served at room temperature to detailed food preferences’.
Lownie added: ‘Wilson also recalled the duke deciding at the last moment not to speak to the British business community as planned: “He didn’t give a reason. Instead, he patted the British ambassador on the head twice and announced to everyone present that this was the chap – not him – whose job it was to promote UK business”.’
Diplomats were not the only officials who had a scathing comment about the Duke.
Royal biographer Ingrid Seward revealed in her bestselling book My Mother And I that Prince Philip ‘berated’ Andrew for being ‘pointless’ because he never fulfilled his early potential.
During his career in the Royal Navy, Philip held his son in high regard.
Andrew Lownie (pictured) recalls the events of a trip to Bahrain on one of his first trips as a special representative that left a lasting impression on the foreign service
Andrew in Oman in October 2001. The Duke of York was known as ‘HBH: His Buffoon Highness’ by diplomats
After Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands in April 1982, Andrew was dispatched to the remote overseas territory in a Royal Navy task force.
Andrew’s role as a pilot on a Sea King helicopter involved particularly dangerous and daring missions decoying missiles to confuse the Argentinian radar.
These potentially life-threatening missions were a cause of concern for Margaret Thatcher’s government who tried to have the Duke of York moved to a desk job.
However, it was the late Queen who insisted the Duke remain on the ship for the duration of the conflict.
A year later it was revealed that the Argentine forces had plotted to assassinate Andrew while he was holidaying on the Caribbean island of Mustique in July 1982.
The plan was only scuppered after the Argentine military regime collapsed in the wake of their defeat in the Falklands.
Andrew survived the war and came home a war hero who was praised for being an excellent pilot. He went on to have a long and active career in the navy.
It is likely that Philip’s scathing comments about his son were in reference to Andrew’s actions outside of the military.
Andrew joined the navy in 1978. After Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands in April 1982, Andrew was dispatched to the remote overseas territory
Prince Philip and Prince Andrew at Ascot in 2014. The Duke of Edinburgh felt that Prince Andrew never lived up to his expectations
During the 1980s ‘randy Andy’ – as the press called him – gained a reputation for being the ‘playboy prince’ during his bachelor years, with Andrew linked romantically to a string of models and actresses.
While he did eventually settle down and marry Sarah Ferguson in 1986, their marriage was short-lived and ended in separation in 1992 and divorce four years later.
Since he left active service in the navy in 2001, Andrew’s ventures came under intense scrutiny.
Seward wrote that during his time as the UK’s Special Representative for International Trade and Investment he gained a reputation for ‘tailoring his visits to include trips to luxury golf courses and fraternising with “dodgy” Arab businessmen’.
After the government at the time realised the damage caused by Andrew’s actions, he was forced to resign from his role in 2011.
While for many years Andrew was celebrated as the royal family’s ‘scallywag’, royal biographer Robert Lacey wrote that the Prince’s ‘dubious choice of business contacts came to shadow his reputation’.
This culminated with Andrew stepping down from his role as a working member of the Royal Family following his notorious interview with BBC Newsnight about his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
More recently, he sparked controversy when it was uncovered that he unknowingly struck up a friendly relationship with an alleged Chinese spy.
It was even reported that Andrew extended an invitation to the man, known as H6, to visit Buckingham Palace.
The man was later banned from Britain by the Government on national security grounds.