Disclaimer: Sensitive Content
This article contains mentions of childhood abuse and early sexual experiences. Some readers may find these details upsetting or distressing. The content is based on claims made in a published biography. It is shared here for informational purposes only.
A new book on Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, has made several serious claims about his private life. Written by Andrew Lownie, the biography claims that Andrew had his first sexual experience when he was just 8 years old.
He became sexually active at the age of 11 and had sexual experiences with “more than half-a-dozen girls” in the following two years.
The biography, The Rise and Fall of the House of York, is 456 pages long. The book has been marketed as the “most devastating royal biography ever written”. It also explores Andrew’s adult relationships and his controversial links to Jeffrey Epstein.
It suggests that such early life experiences may have shaped his adult behaviour as he realised that he was “obsessed with women”. One source quoted in the book said these early experiences could be linked to later struggles with risky decisions and mental health.
It “might be the root of Andrew’s problems”, says the source. The early exposure explains “why he’s spent most of his adult life at high risk of self-abuse, depression, and risky sexual encounters”, The Telegraph quotes an insider as saying in the book.
Another insider confirmed to the publication that the prince’s adult encounters were “at what most of us would consider as too young an age”. “Poor chap,” the source said.
The author describes it as a story of childhood struggles, affairs, betrayal, greed, arrogance, and establishment cover-ups. According to people close to Prince Andrew, the book also discusses how little the public really knows about his personal life.
While Prince Andrew is still legally a prince, he has lost almost all royal duties, military roles, and the public use of “His Royal Highness”. He is no longer a working royal, nor does he represent the monarchy now in any official capacity.
Effects of child abuse
Adult encounters with anyone below the legal age of consent are always considered abuse, not consensual activities. Even if the person said “yes”, it is still legally and clinically defined as abuse.
Multiple studies have found clear connections between childhood abuse and hypersexuality. Survivors of such abuse may engage in risky sexual behaviour.
A 2020 study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine involved 16,823 adults. Men who suffered abuse in their childhood are more likely to experience hypersexuality, according to the study.
If you or someone you know has faced any kind of abuse, please seek help. Call 1098 for immediate rescue, support and counselling.