The Outrageous thing Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor asked a dinner party guest...

Published: 23:00, 8 July 2026 | Updated: 02:16, 9 July 2026 There has been some sympathy recently for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, at least from his younger brother, Prince Edward, and his wife Sophie, who chatted to Andrew when he emerged from the shadows to attend the Sandringham Horse Driving Trials in which Sophie was competing. But can such sympathy survive yet another disclosure of Andrew's Olympian-level crudeness? I ask because of the publication, online, of a new memoir, What Harriet Did. The author, Harriet James, recalls meeting Andrew in 2005, when he was 45 and she was 33. Harriet and her husband, former racehorse trainer turned events entrepreneur Ed James, had been invited to dinner by friends near York – which, that year, was hosting Royal Ascot while Ascot Racecourse underwent a £185 million redevelopment. 'We were told we had to have dinner with Andrew. He was staying with friends of ours and we were instructed to dress in black tie, in honour of him being royal and all that,' she writes. Harriet and her husband dressed accordingly; Andrew arrived 'in jeans and a thick weave grey cardigan'. Writes Harriet: 'I was put opposite 'Sir' and, as it was a thin table, we were quite close to each other. His opening conversation to me went as follows: 'How many people have you slept with?' Other women might have been cowed into stammering a reply. But Harriet (pictured above) was no ingenue. For many years she was lead singer and co-songwriter with country band Pearl, TN. She performed with the thrice-married 'Ned' Earl of Durham, brother-in-law of the Prince and Princess of Wales' Norfolk neighbour and friend the Marchioness of Cholmondeley. 'You can't ask me that!' she retorted, before adding: 'How many people have you slept with?' Andrew's reply came in a 'pompous' gasp: 'You certainly can't ask me that!' Indeed not. That sort of intimacy would surely only be disclosed to Jeffrey Epstein – and perhaps also Lord 'Petie' Mandelson... 'We were told we had to have dinner with Andrew. He was staying with friends of ours and we were instructed to dress in black tie, in honour of him being royal and all that,' Harriet writes Dan Walker impressed the judges when he competed on Strictly Come Dancing with Nadiya Bychkova in 2021, finishing fifth. And the TV presenter backs Love Island winner Dani Dyer to lift the Glitterball trophy this year. 'I climbed Kilimanjaro in 2019 for Comic Relief and she was so cool, such a lovely lady,' he tells me. 'The way she approached that challenge... it was really quite difficult.' Dani, 29, had to pull out of the last series of Strictly after sustaining a fractured ankle. 'She is going to be a superstar on the show,' Dan adds. She's the daughter of Formula 1 billionaire Bernie Ecclestone, owns a £65million French chateau-style home in Los Angeles, a £170million mansion in Chelsea, and relocated to Dubai in January with her husband, estate agent Sam Palmer. But Petra Ecclestone, whose personal fortune is estimated to be £230million, is at her wits' end with those who tap her for cash, and then fail to settle their debts. Multimillionaire Petra Ecclestone is at her wits' end with those who tap her for cash, and then fail to settle their debts Taking to social media, Petra, 37, who has four children, wails: '[My] pet hate of the day is when someone says that they can't pay you back... but then they go and buy a special someone a new horse.' Game, set and match to former Wimbledon star Tim Henman, who's beaten rival Andy Murray to cash in on one of the All England Club's most recognised features.  The former players are both linked to the grassy area at the home of tennis where fans can watch a giant TV screen. Depending which camp you're in, some call it 'Henman Hill' and others 'Murray Mound'.  But now the Englishman has beaten the Scotsman as he's officially trademarked the name 'Henman Hill' at the Intellectual Property Office. It gives Henman licence for a string of merchandise including clothing, eyewear, bags and sporting events. Perhaps the most eye-catching, though, is the classification of alcohol including beers, ciders, cocktails and wine. Queen Camilla was criticised by some for meeting J K Rowling at the Palace of Holyroodhouse last week because of the Harry Potter author's comments on transgender women and biological sex. But could Her Majesty be plotting a wizard honour for Joanne? The death of former cabinet minister Lord Mackay creates a vacancy in the Order of the Thistle, Scotland's highest chivalric order. Although Rowling was born in Gloucestershire, she's lived in Edinburgh for decades, is married to a Scot and has Scottish ancestry herself. If Prince Harry wants to see his stepmother while he's in Britain, she'll be down the pub... Queen Camilla could be found at the Half Moon in Plumpton, East Sussex, on Tuesday. 'There was no warning at all,' says Tom Stovold, managing director of Revived Inns, which owns the Half Moon. 'I was in the garden cutting the grass and I saw these dozen police officers turn up.' Queen Camilla could be found at the Half Moon in Plumpton, East Sussex, on Tuesday He tells me: 'She had a rare roast beef sandwich and a ginger beer. We've got a little ice cream parlour and she was interested to try that. She had Percy Pig ice cream. She looked like she enjoyed it.' He adds: 'Obviously, she gave a lot of the other punters a real bit of a shock. They couldn't believe it.' Success has proved a double-edged sword for David Gandy. The Dolce & Gabbana pin-up, 46, admits becoming one of the world's most successful male models – with a family, a fortune and a large home in west London – has come at a cost. 'When you have the nice house, the children, the cars, and everything else, you don't have the hunger you did when you were younger,' reflects David, who has two young daughters with his girlfriend, lawyer Stephanie Mendoros. 'That is the only thing that worries me on a bit of a daily basis.'