Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor: ‘Girlfriend’ Breaks Silence — ‘We’re Just Acquaintances’
For much of 2026, she was only a rumour — the unnamed woman supposedly at the centre of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s new life in Norfolk. This weekend, she finally spoke. And her message was blunt: there is no romance, there never was, and the story began with a cup of tea.
BLUF: Aliba Bellingham, the woman named by the Daily Mail as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s rumoured girlfriend, has given her first interview and denied any romantic relationship, saying the pair are “just acquaintances” who “hang out from time to time and talk about horses and dogs”. Bellingham, sister of Tory grandee Lord Bellingham and part of a north Norfolk social circle known as the “Turnip Toffs”, said the rumours began when an American journalist heard she had been to tea with Andrew and “made two plus two equal five”. The interview comes as Police Scotland’s investigation into Andrew’s time with Epstein at Balmoral continues.
At a Glance
- Who she is: Aliba Bellingham, sister of local Tory grandee Lord Bellingham, a British socialite and keen horsewoman in Norfolk circles.
- What she said: “We get on well. We hang out from time to time and talk about horses and dogs – that’s what we have in common. He loves his horses.” And: “But there’s no question of me being a ‘girlfriend’, we’re just acquaintances.”
- How the rumour started, in her words: An American journalist heard she had been to tea with Andrew and “made two plus two equal five”.
- Where Andrew lives now: Marsh Farm, a property on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, after being evicted from Royal Lodge and stripped of his titles.
- The wider context: Andrew was arrested in February 2026 by Thames Valley Police on suspicion of misconduct in public office, based on information in the Epstein Files. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
- Police Scotland probe: Detectives are investigating time spent by Andrew, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell at Balmoral. Police Scotland says inquiries are at a “very early stage”.
The interview that ended months of rumour
Bellingham has often been seen visiting Andrew’s new home, Marsh Farm, in recent months — enough to fuel a year of speculation. On Saturday night, she addressed it directly.
Her opening words set the tone: the two get on well, they meet from time to time, and what they share is a love of horses and dogs. Nothing more.
“We get on well. We hang out from time to time and talk about horses and dogs – that’s what we have in common. We get on well. He loves his horses,” she said.
Her concluding remarks were sharper. “But there’s no question of me being a ‘girlfriend’, we’re just acquaintances. I think the rumours began when an American journalist got to hear I’d been to tea with him, and then made two plus two equal five. Andrew was a friend of my family during our childhood days.”
The denial is notable for its detail. Rather than issuing a flat “no comment” through a representative, Bellingham explained the history — a childhood family friendship — and offered a precise account of how the story grew.
Who is Aliba Bellingham?
Bellingham is the sister of Lord Bellingham, a Conservative grandee, and a well-known figure in north Norfolk society. She is a keen horsewoman, and the county’s social set — nicknamed the “Turnip Toffs” — is the world in which she and Andrew move.
She is not a public figure, and her interview reads as an attempt to draw a line: a family friend, not a romantic partner.
Andrew’s new life at Sandringham
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the younger brother of King Charles III, now lives on the King’s Sandringham estate after a year of extraordinary upheaval. He was evicted from Royal Lodge in Windsor, where he had lived with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson for nearly two decades, and stripped of his titles following revelations in the Epstein Files.
Sarah Ferguson has meanwhile returned to the UK, making her first public appearance in half a year at a London memorial service for her former boyfriend Paddy McNally. According to her spokesperson, she and Andrew remain in contact and have “an ongoing cordial and supportive relationship as co-parents and co-grandparents”. The two have not been seen together in person since her return.
The Epstein inquiries continue
Bellingham’s interview lands against the backdrop of continuing police inquiries into Andrew’s association with Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died in a US prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Police Scotland confirmed last week that detectives are investigating the time Andrew, Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell spent at Balmoral, after receiving information about the visits. The force says the inquiries are at a “very early stage”.
Images released by the US Department of Justice appear to show Epstein and Maxwell at Balmoral during a shooting trip in 1999, and flight logs show Andrew and Maxwell flew from Luton to Edinburgh on Epstein’s private jet on 1 September 2006. The photographs were among millions of pages published as part of a congressional probe into Epstein’s links to politicians, business leaders and other influential figures. The presence of anyone’s name or image in the files is not proof of wrongdoing.
Separately, Andrew was arrested in February 2026 by Thames Valley Police on suspicion of misconduct in public office, based on information uncovered in the Epstein Files. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing linked to his association with Epstein. In 2011, the late Virginia Giuffre alleged she had been trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sex with Andrew when she was 17. Andrew has denied the allegation.
Why this story matters
On its face, a denial of a romance is a small story. But it captures something larger about Andrew’s position: a man stripped of his titles, living quietly on his brother’s estate, whose every friendship is scrutinised for meaning.
People Also Ask
Who is Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s rumoured girlfriend?
The woman named by the Daily Mail is Aliba Bellingham, sister of Tory grandee Lord Bellingham and a keen horsewoman in north Norfolk society. She has denied any romantic relationship with Andrew, saying they are “just acquaintances” who talk about horses and dogs.
What did Aliba Bellingham say about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor?
In her first interview, Bellingham said: “We get on well. We hang out from time to time and talk about horses and dogs – that’s what we have in common. He loves his horses.” She added: “But there’s no question of me being a ‘girlfriend’, we’re just acquaintances.”
Where does Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor live now?
Andrew lives at Marsh Farm, a property on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, after being evicted from Royal Lodge in Windsor and stripped of his titles following revelations in the Epstein Files.
What is the Police Scotland investigation into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor?
Police Scotland is investigating time spent by Andrew, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell at Balmoral, the King’s private estate in Scotland. The force says it has received information and that inquiries are at a “very early stage”. Andrew has consistently denied any wrongdoing linked to his association with Epstein.