In the years before her death, Queen Elizabeth II was deeply worried about her second son Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s future as his ties to predator Jeffrey Epstein fueled mounting scrutiny, an upcoming book reveals.

In his new biography titled Queen Elizabeth II, author Hugo Vickers writes that the late monarch remained supportive of her son but was troubled by the long-term fallout surrounding the controversy.

“Andrew’s problems caused the queen considerable distress in the last years of her life. She was deeply concerned about his future,” Vickers writes, as reported by Britain’s Daily Mirror.

Standing by her son

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor said he had ‘no recollection’ of this photo being taken of him alongside Virginia Giuffre and Ghislaine Maxwell in 2001, suggesting it was faked. By: Supplied by Capital Pictures / MEGA

The queen’s private stance was worlds away from public opinion of the former Duke of York after details about his friendship with the disgraced financier, who died in 2019 while awaiting trial on trafficking charges, surfaced.

Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre had long claimed the former Prince Andrew assaulted her in 2001 — allegations he has consistently denied.

In a late 2019 sit-down with the BBC’s Newsnight, he even insisted he’d never met Giuffre. In 2022, Mountbatten-Windsor settled a civil case she brought against him in New York for a reported $16 million, without any admission of guilt.

Yet Vickers claims the late monarch remained unconvinced of any wrongdoing.

“Despite his car-crash interview on Newsnight, and other apparent revelations, the queen did not believe he had behaved improperly,” the author writes. “It is fortunate that she did not live to witness the denouement.”

A plan for her son’s future

Behind the scenes, the monarch was thinking ahead as she processed the controversy, which saw Mountbatten-Windsor step back from royal duties following the disastrous BBC sit-down.

According to Vickers, Elizabeth even explored ways to secure Andrew’s long-term role and offer stability.

“One idea, developed in the last year of her life, was to set up a foundation that Andrew could administer,” Vickers writes.

The queen died at 96 in September 2022, less than three years after the Newsnight interview and just months after her son’s Giuffre case was settled, with reports suggesting she helped fund the payout

Since then, attention has only intensified.

In late 2025, amid renewed interest in Mountbatten-Windsor’s relationship with Epstein, King Charles III stripped his brother of his royal titles.

In early 2026, the former Duke of York was forced to give up his lease on his Crown Estate mansion, Royal Lodge.

In February, Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office weeks after the U.S. Justice Department released emails suggesting he had passed along sensitive government documents to Epstein while serving as Britain’s trade envoy.

More recently, reports have indicated the probe into Mountbatten-Windsor’s behavior has significantly expanded, with police exploring potential corruption and trafficking allegations.

More details on the queen’s final years

An upcoming biography of Queen Elizabeth II by royals author Hugo Vickers reveals new details about her final months with her husband of 73 years, Prince Philip. By: MEGA

Vickers’ book also offers intimate new details about Elizabeth’s final years, particularly her relationship with husband Prince Philip.

According to the author, the Duke of Edinburgh — who died in 2021 at 99 — was diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer in 2013 and faced ongoing heart issues, ultimately stepping back from royal duties in 2017.

Following his retirement, Philip largely lived at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate, where, Vickers writes, as reported by People.com, “the queen let the duke do exactly as he pleased. He was at his happiest at Wood Farm…” (Coincidentally, Wood Farm is where Mountbatten-Windsor has temporarily been living following his eviction.)

Philip spent his days reading, painting and carriage driving, often joined by close confidante Penny Mountbatten, also known as Penelope Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma.

The couple lived increasingly separate lives, though the queen would sometimes visit on weekends. During the COVID-19 pandemic, however, they reunited at Windsor Castle, living quietly in a bubble with a small staff of 22, Vickers reports.

The author also recounts Philip’s final days, writing that on the last night of his life, he “gave his nurses the slip, shuffled along the corridor on his [walker], helped himself to a beer and drank it in the Oak Room.”

He died the following morning after saying he did not feel well. The queen, Vickers claims, was “absolutely furious that, as so often in life, he left without saying goodbye.”