Andrew Lownie

Andrew Lownie is a British literary agent, author, and historian whose meticulously researched biographies of spies, royals, and political figures have made him one of the most prominent and occasionally controversial biographers in Britain. He is also the founder of the Andrew Lownie Literary Agency, one of the most successful non-fiction literary agencies in the world. Born in 1961, Lownie read History at Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he was President of the Cambridge Union. He went on to earn an MSc at Edinburgh University and studied at the College of Law in London before founding his literary agency in 1988. His biographies combine deep archival research with compelling narrative. John Buchan: The Presbyterian Cavalier was his first major biography. Stalin's Englishman: The Lives of Guy Burgess (2015) was a comprehensive account of the Cambridge spy, drawing on newly released files and extensive interviews. The Mountbattens: Their Lives and Loves (2019) explored the extraordinary and scandalous lives of Lord and Lady Mountbatten. Traitor King (2021) examined the Duke of Windsor's relationship with Nazi Germany and his post-abdication life, based on previously unseen documents. Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York (2025) is a joint biography of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, drawing on four years of research, numerous Freedom of Information requests, and interviews with over a hundred people. Lownie's work has frequently brought him into conflict with the British establishment, particularly through his persistent FOI campaigns to access royal and intelligence documents. His determination to uncover historical truths, regardless of their sensitivity, is a hallmark of his approach. The audiobook editions of Lownie's biographies are compelling listens — meticulously detailed and narratively engaging. His books and audiobooks are essential for anyone interested in the hidden histories of British power, espionage, and the royal family.