Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor once confided that he wished he could have been a plumber – a startling ambition revealed during a trade mission to China, according to a new book by author Catherine Mayer.
Mayer, the only journalist ever permitted to accompany the former prince on an official business trip, recounts the moment in her book *Divide and Rule*. “One afternoon in China, he confided to me that he wished he could have been a plumber,” she writes, painting a picture of a royal who appeared startlingly disconnected from everyday realities.
“Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor told author Catherine Mayer he wished he could have been a plumber during a China trade mission.”
The trip, which brought together British business leaders and Chinese officials, was marred by an incident that underscored that disconnect. Mayer lost a shoe while trying to board a moving vehicle after the royal convoy set off – a routine departure she said left those at the back “to fling themselves at moving vehicles”. When Andrew noticed she was barefoot, he demanded to know why, then instructed her to wear the remaining shoe “for decorum”.
Mayer suggests that many in royal circles questioned whether Andrew was suited to his role as trade envoy. The benefits to the UK, she notes, came “with a hefty price tag: intensive preparations, transport and accommodation for Andrew and his entourage, and four royal protection officers for the duration”.
The plumber confession has resurfaced as Andrew’s life has dramatically changed. In November 2025, he formally lost his royal titles and the right to use the style His Royal Highness. Since then, he has lived largely out of the public eye, first at Royal Lodge in Windsor before moving to Marsh Farm on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk in April.
Royal biographer Andrew Lownie, whose book *Entitled* examined Andrew’s life and controversies, believes the former royal has struggled to find direction since stepping back from public duties. Speaking on the Palace Confidential podcast, Lownie said: “I think he’s someone who needs a discipline. I think the services were good for…”