Why Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's fightback is gathering pace: His allies the 'Turnip Toffs' say things have 'gone too far'... now friends urge him to challenge King

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor barely had time to enjoy his morning tea and Abernethy biscuits before Thames Valley Police turned up on his doorstep that day back in February. asserted

Despite receiving a tip-off that detectives were heading his way, nothing could have prepared him for the shock of seeing six unmarked cars pulling up outside Wood Farm at around 8am on his 66th birthday. While the erstwhile Duke of York was arrested and taken away for questioning to a Norfolk police station, plain-clothed officers, armed with a search warrant, rummaged through the rooms of his temporary home on the Sandringham Estate. uncertain

At the same time, 140 miles away, their colleagues searched Mountbatten-Windsor’s old residence, Royal Lodge in Windsor, removing items including paperwork and electronic equipment left behind when he was hastily sent into exile the previous month. asserted

Infuriated by what he saw as an outrageous invasion of his privacy, Mountbatten-Windsor boldly challenged the legality of the warrants used to trawl through his homes, becoming the first member of the Royal Family to challenge British criminal proceedings since Charles I at his trial for high treason in 1649. asserted

Unlike his ill-fated Stuart ancestor, however, Mountbatten-Windsor’s complaint has been upheld. asserted

A High Court judge has declared that the warrants issued at the Old Bailey to Thames Valley Police while they investigated allegations of misconduct in public office were indeed illegal because the wrong legislation was applied to them. asserted

While the erstwhile Duke of York was arrested and taken away for questioning, plain-clothed officers rummaged through the rooms of his temporary home on the Sandringham Estate. asserted

He is seen being driven away from Aylsham Police Station in February Police officers outside Wood Farm. asserted

'For the son of a monarch, even an abased one, this was a humiliating turn of events indeed,' write Barbara Davies and Rebecca Camber They were quashed in July in a behind-closed-doors hearing which was finally made public this week. asserted

But if this surprise court victory comes down to little more than a legal technicality then Mountbatten-Windsor’s willingness to take on the police suggests a newfound fighting spirit in a man said to have been left broken by his devastating fall from grace. uncertain

‘Something of the old Andrew has returned. asserted

The spirit of the grand old Duke of York has been rekindled,’ declared a royal source speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail this week. asserted

‘He believes he is an honourable man who has been unfairly treated. asserted

He is sick and tired of his lot and has started to fight back.’ asserted

Is it possible then, that this week’s legal drama is just the tip of the iceberg and that, a year to the month since he was stripped of his titles and reduced to the rank of commoner, Mountbatten-Windsor is on the brink of an extraordinary comeback? asserted

For there are other signs that the tide is turning for the beleaguered former HRH, not least the shifting mood among north Norfolk’s upper-crust set – the so-called Turnip Toffs – who appear to have growing sympathy for a man who, until recently, was regarded as a social pariah. asserted

As The Mail on Sunday revealed last week, having been cast into the wilderness since his reduction in rank, Andrew’s phone has been ringing more frequently of late, with a steady stream of invitations from well-heeled neighbours to cosy kitchen suppers and casual barbecues. asserted

While some of them are said to enjoy ‘trying to shock’ their guests by including the scandal-plagued former prince among their number, according to one society figure: ‘Things have gone too far. uncertain

The feeling is that Andrew needs to be welcomed back, at least to some extent.’ asserted

Spurred on by the ever-louder whispers that he may well soon be off the legal hook, recent hosts are said to include the Earl and Countess of Leicester – better known to Andrew as Tom and Polly – who have apparently had him round for an informal dinner at Holkham Hall, their grand Norfolk estate. uncertain

According to the Daily Mail’s source these intimate soirees, which are aimed at bringing reclusive Andrew ‘out of himself’, are kept deliberately casual – for the time being at least. ‘Anything formal would be fraught with difficulties when it comes to things like table plans,’ says the source, ‘because Andrew, who would once have been guest of honour, is now outranked by many in the Turnip Toff set.’ But such is the growing mood of confidence around Mountbatten-Windsor, who has always denied any wrongdoing and has not yet been charged with any criminal offence, that some of his friends have now urged him to go further and mount a legal challenge against the King’s decision to remove his titles and royal status. ‘He remains the son, brother and uncle of future monarchs,’ says the royal source. uncertain

‘Most people don’t realise that technically he is still the Duke of York – he still insists on being called "Sir" and "Duke" at home. asserted

Only an Act of Parliament can extinguish his title. asserted

’ Encouraging, too, is the steady flow of ‘fan mail’ now being delivered to Marsh Farm which has been Mountbatten-Windsor’s home on the Sandringham estate since early April. asserted

Most of the letters are opened by his part-time secretary who sends a formal acknowledgment to well-wishers by way of reply. asserted

This month he handed back the keys to Royal Lodge, along with £1.5million to pay the Crown Estate for repairs to the main house and a dilapidated outbuilding. asserted

In receipt of a generous stipend from the King’s private funds – on top of the modest Royal Navy pension he receives – Mountbatten-Windsor clearly isn’t short of cash although his means of support, as always, are pretty much invisible. asserted

In recent months, the King’s attitude to his troublesome young brother also appears to have softened. asserted

While some courtiers had advised that his movements in exile should be restricted, King Charles has given his sibling more freedom, allowing him to come and go as he pleases – albeit with a security detail to keep track of his movements. asserted

The father of two is also allowed to ride, well away from the eyes of the public, on designated areas of the monarch’s privately owned Sandringham estate. asserted

This summer has seen the brothers speaking by phone. asserted

Andrew has also received visits from his other siblings, Edward and Anne, both of whom are said to be concerned about his harsh treatment and the lack of emotional support offered to their brother as his life fell apart. asserted

While steadfastly loyal to the monarchy, Andrew is also said to feel ‘badly let down’ by the King who, along with the late Queen, pushed him to settle with the late Virginia Giuffre following her claims to have had sex with him as a 17-year-old after being trafficked to the UK by Epstein’s girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell. uncertain

Concerned about the impact Giuffre’s claims would have on the impending Platinum Jubilee, it is said that the Queen and the then Prince of Wales hoped a financial settlement would draw a line under the scandal. uncertain

‘Andrew didn’t want to do it and was irate about not holding out,’ says the royal source. asserted

‘The plan backfired. asserted

His daughters weren’t the only ones who wanted to know why he was settling with a woman he claimed never to have met.’ asserted

His supporters also contrast his harsh treatment with that meted out to Prince Harry, who has spoken out against his relatives and the monarchy – not least in his best-selling autobiography Spare – and has suffered scarcely any consequences. asserted

Meanwhile Andrew, it is pointed out, has remained loyal – and tight-lipped. asserted

According to the source: ‘He always has felt that his nephew has been treated leniently compared to himself, especially as Andrew has remained loyal to the throne and would never do anything that would cause trouble. uncertain