Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s Disguise Request for Visit Unveiled

In 1980, a six-day siege at the Iranian embassy in London gripped television audiences. Twenty-year-old Royal Navy trainee Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor watched the drama unfold. He later asked officials for permission to visit the scene during active negotiations.

Siege and negotiations

The embassy was on Princes Gate in London. Six armed gunmen had taken hostages. Scotland Yard set up a negotiation team known as “Zulu control.”

Inspector Peter Prentice acted as a liaison during Day Five. At that stage, negotiators faced intense pressure after the captors killed a hostage and left his body outside the building.

Royal request and official response

Prentice relayed the royal request to the police protection unit. John Dellow, the Scotland Yard commander, rejected the visit on safety grounds. He referred the matter to Commissioner David McNee.

The prince did not want a formal meeting with the commissioner. He said he preferred to be “where the action was.” An hour later he proposed attending incognito.

Incognito offer and refusal

Senior officers considered the disguise suggestion inappropriate. They judged it a potential distraction from the operation. Dellow instructed that the royal would be informed once the operation finished.

The message made clear the prince could visit after the siege ended. He was told he could attend about one hour after the operation concluded.

Storming and immediate aftermath

The SAS stormed the embassy on Day Six. The assault lasted around eleven minutes. Five gunmen were killed during the intervention.

Before the storming, the captors had killed two hostages. The rescue ended the six-day standoff. The prince arrived at the scene at 19:55, after the operation.

Leaders and atmosphere

Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her husband Denis met the SAS team soon after. A cabinet official later described the mood as boisterous. Many rescuers smoked and drank, and displayed a rugged camaraderie.

Accounts in Ben Macintyre’s book The Siege document these exchanges. Filmogaz.com reviewed those accounts for this report. The archival material also prompted Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s Disguise Request for Visit Unveiled in later commentary and analysis.