Prince Andrew told to stop saying he didn't care about royals by Sarah Ferguson's ex-lover, report claims

Prince Andrew was reportedly ordered to stop saying he did not care about the royal family by the Duchess of York's former lover.

John Bryan, the 67-year-old American financial adviser who had a relationship with the Duchess in the 1990s, said he was called to Royal Lodge in Berkshire to give “honest advice” to the Duke of York following his disastrous Newsnight interview in 2019, where he addressed allegations that he had had sex with Virginia Roberts. The Duke of York has strenuously denied these claims. 

On Saturday, November 30, 2019, just over a week after the Queen suspended the Duke from his Royal duties, Mr Bryan visited the Yorks and said he witnessed Prince Andrew allegedly say: “I don't care anymore, I don't care. I am being treated unfairly.”

Mr Bryan told The Mail on Sunday: “There were other advisers there, other PR people who were lining up to give him advice. I told him, 'You may think you've been treated unfairly but you should never, ever say in front of third parties that you don't care any more'.”

Mr Bryan, who says he was called in to provide strategic advice about restoring the Duke's reputation, revealed how he produced a five-page strategic planning document to set out how the House of York would recover, as well at looking at what needed “to be done legally and PR-wise”.

“I sat there with the whole family over lunch and told them, 'You are in the middle of a catastrophe and from here it gets a million times worse’,” he said. 

Despite being grateful for the advice, Mr Bryan said the Duke declined to follow his suggestions. 

The Duke of York has been contacted for comment.