Prince Andrew, formerly known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, expressed interest in visiting the site of the 1980 Iranian embassy siege while Scotland Yard was engaged in negotiations to secure the release of 26 hostages. At the time of the six-day hostage crisis, Prince Andrew, then a 20-year-old trainee Royal Navy helicopter pilot, closely followed the events as they unfolded on live television.

During the intense negotiation phase of the siege, Inspector Peter Prentice from the Royal Protection Unit reached out to the negotiation team, known as ‘Zulu control,’ to communicate with the heavily armed gunmen who had taken over the Iranian embassy in London. The situation escalated when the captors killed a hostage and left his body outside the embassy.

The standoff came to a dramatic end when the Special Air Service (SAS) stormed the embassy, a moment witnessed by millions worldwide on TV. Prince Andrew expressed a desire to visit the scene, initially requesting to attend a lunch at the location. Despite his persistence, his request was denied by Scotland Yard’s John Dellow citing safety concerns.

Undeterred, Prince Andrew continued to push for access to the site, proposing to attend incognito. However, his request was deemed unnecessary and disruptive by Dellow, who eventually informed Prince Andrew that he could visit after the operation concluded.

Prince Andrew arrived at the site after the SAS operation on Day Six, where five gunmen were killed. Tragically, two hostages had already been killed by the Iranian dissident group prior to the SAS intervention. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher met with the SAS rescuers following the successful 11-minute operation.

Witnesses described the atmosphere at the scene as charged with masculinity, noting the presence of SAS members with ginger hair and moustaches holding bottles of beer, creating a distinctive ambiance during the aftermath of the operation.