Andrew could turn to ‘last-man-standing’ friend as legal fight looms

Buckingham Palace will ensure the taxpayer does not foot Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s legal bill, the London Telegraph understands.

If the former Duke of York is unable to pay for his own legal representation, the financial burden “will not fall on the public purse,” a well-placed source said.

It is unclear from which pot the royal household will find the money, although sources suggested that the King would not pay his younger brother’s bills himself.

Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on Thursday at his home in Sandringham on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

Police are assessing allegations that Mountbatten-Windsor shared sensitive information with Jeffrey Epstein when the former was a trade envoy.

On the question of who might help Mountbatten-Windsor – and defend him in court – there is one man who remains in his circle: lawyer Gary Bloxsome.

“He’s the only man still by his side,” one source admitted on Thursday.

Following Andrew’s arrest, Bloxsome’s services will be needed now more than ever.

The criminal defence solicitor was taken on by the former Duke of York in 2020 when the FBI was circling with questions about his friendship with paedophile financier Epstein.

As it turned out, it was an inspired hire.

While other friends and associates slowly peeled themselves away from the tawdry crisis that engulfed the beleaguered royal, Bloxsome stood firm.

He went on to become Andrew’s closest confidante, his “lawyer on call”, as one source described it, spending as much time with him on the golf course as he did poring over legal paperwork.

Until at least very recently, he was still visiting Royal Lodge in Windsor for tea with his high-profile client.

‘Who else could he call on?’

Now, it seems Bloxsome is the likely candidate to represent Mountbatten-Windsor as he faces allegations of misconduct in public office.

“Who else would he possibly call on?” a well-placed source said. “He’s a criminal lawyer. This is Gary’s speciality, there is no better man for the job.

“It wouldn’t make any sense for him [Mountbatten-Windsor] to go anywhere else. He knows all the history, and they have a good relationship.”

As police raided Wood Farm, Andrew’s temporary accommodation on the King’s Sandringham Estate, Bloxsome told the Telegraph he had “no knowledge at all” of the unfolding drama.

It is not yet known whether he attended the police station where Andrew was being questioned on his 66th birthday.

His arrest came barely two weeks after he was banished from Royal Lodge in Windsor to begin his new life in exile in Norfolk.

With very few friends left – bar the ever-loyal Bloxsome – concerns have been raised for Andrew’s mental health.

Prior to the move, he went riding daily but, beyond that, was isolated at his vast Windsor mansion. He reportedly stopped following the news some months ago.

Sources have noted that as the walls closed in, he has been “very, very flat”.

In December, he was forced to surrender his firearms licences and shotgun certificates following a visit by the Metropolitan Police.

Gun licences are regularly reviewed, and their surrender can be requested if a person is found to be “not fit to be entrusted with a firearm” or “a danger to public safety or to the peace”.

No further explanation was forthcoming, but it has become increasingly clear that his welfare has remained a key family consideration. Palace sources have stressed that there “remains a duty of care” for the wellbeing of all family members.

Similar concerns have been raised for Sarah Ferguson and their two daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, who are said to be “in a state” following their father’s arrest.

One source close to the former Duchess of York told the London Telegraph on Thursday: “This is catastrophic for her and the girls.

“She seems to be doing her best to put a brave face on it. Her desperation for money was clear stupidity, but does that equate to what she’s going through now?”

For now, Mountbatten-Windsor’s fate is in the hands of the police and whichever legal representative he chooses to hire.

Bloxsome, a partner at London-based Blackfords law firm, may prove a welcome sight.

The lawyer has long been dubbed “Good News Gary” owing to his insistence on only briefing the embattled royal with the best-case scenario, even when things were going disastrously wrong.

When Andrew was last embroiled in a damaging legal drama – fighting sex abuse allegations made by the late Virginia Giuffre – Bloxsome was his self-appointed gatekeeper.

Insiders said the lawyer replaced Amanda Thirsk, Andrew’s former private secretary, as his “inner circle of one” by insisting that all communication went through him.

Bloxsome, who is described as “absolutely brilliant” and “sharp as a blade”, was born and raised in south-east London, where he lives with his wife, a nurse.

He has been a partner at Blackfords for more than 40 years and defended British troops against war-crimes allegations as well as footballers in assault cases.

Should he be instructed, he may take comfort in the knowledge that his legal bills would be covered.

Mountbatten-Windsor has been under significant financial pressure in recent years and is not thought to have any notable private funds at his fingertips.

In 2024, it emerged that the King had cut his brother off financially, drawing a line under his personal allowance and security payments as he sought to smoke him out of Royal Lodge, his Windsor home.

When, amid mounting pressure last October, the monarch removed his royal titles and forced him to finally give up the lease on the property, it was made clear that “appropriate private provision” would be made to ensure Andrew had funds to live on.

By relocating him to Sandringham, he is said to have wanted to “contain” his errant sibling and to ensure he did not have to support himself by independent means, which has long led to scandal.

Regardless of his current financial circumstances, Buckingham Palace is keen to avoid the unseemly spectacle of Mountbatten-Windsor claiming legal aid.

Those who require support to cover their defence costs must apply for the means-tested benefit, which takes into account income, family circumstances and living costs.

When Andrew was a working royal, he, like the rest of the royal family, was represented by a team at Harbottle and Lewis, led by partner Gerrard Tyrrell.

However, when he was cut adrift in late 2019, following his disastrous BBC Newsnight interview, he was forced to hire his own independent team.

Until her death, Queen Elizabeth II privately funded his subsequent legal fight with Giuffre – who accused Andrew of having sex with her, aged 17, after she was trafficked to London by Epstein – stumping up most of the £12 million ($22.9 million) settlement costs to draw a line under the litigation in early 2022.

King’s ‘profound concern’

It was claimed this month that the King had contributed £1.5m to the pot, but Buckingham Palace sought to distance him from the payout, with a source insisting this was not the case.

Just days earlier, the King had expressed his “profound concern” over the onslaught of revelations about Mountbatten-Windsor contained in the Epstein files as Buckingham Palace confirmed it would support the police investigation if required.

On Thursday, some two hours after Thames Valley Police confirmed he had been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, the King released a personal statement in which he said “the law must take its course”.

He said: “I have learnt with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office. What follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated by the appropriate authorities.

“In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and co-operation. Let me state clearly: the law must take its course.”