Yorks under scrutiny challenge royal image

A critical portrait of the Duke and Duchess of York questions the royal myth and highlights the costs of privilege.

Yorks under scrutiny reveal royal myth and ruin

An Observer review of Entitled argues the Yorks are defined by a hunger for status and the visibility that comes with being royal. The 400-page book by Andrew Lownie blends gossip with critique and portrays a couple whose lives revolve around travel, media attention, and a sense of grievance. The piece notes claims linking Andrew to Jeffrey Epstein and describes Sarah as pursuing high profile partners and access to power, while portraying their marriage as a rebound union. It also argues the Yorks exist to illustrate the hereditary system in action, not to reveal a private tragedy.

The review sketches a portrait where the Yorks are both ridiculous and dangerous symbols of unearned privilege. It notes the king’s desire to move them out of royal life and mentions that William allegedly labels Andrew a tosser, signaling friction within the family. Placed alongside Spare and other royal narratives, Entitled is read as part of a broader trend that tests the monarchy’s polished image and feeds public appetite for scandal as spectacle.

The piece arrives at a moment when readers crave blunt accounts of power and privilege. It challenges the idea that private lives should be kept separate from public roles, while asking how much weight to give gossip in forming a country’s memory of its rulers. The review suggests sensational detail can coexist with scrutiny, but it also notes the risk that excessive focus on sex and money shifts the conversation away from accountability toward entertainment.

For the monarchy, the risk is double. It may erode quiet legitimacy and invite accusations that the royal family thrives on spectacle rather than service, even as it amplifies a historical dialogue about wealth and responsibility. The author argues that Entitled serves as a caution about hereditary power, inviting readers to separate fact from myth and to consider how much of a private life should influence the judgment of public duty.

Highlights

Power endures when people refuse to look away from the flaws behind the throne.