The former Duke of York was very particular about the unusual items in his bedroom at Buckingham Palace, and would ‘scream and shout’ if they were not arranged correctly according to one former member of staff
Prince Andrew’s behaviour behind closed doors has long come under scrutiny, with repeated claims that he bullied and humiliated royal staff, and examples of deeply entitled and strange behaviour.
Andrew’s fall from grace has been a drawn-out process. But having been forced to give up his Duke of York title, and following the posthumous release of Virginia Giuffre’s explosive memoir, in which she reiterates her claims that she was trafficked to the prince by Jeffrey Epstein, there seems no way back for the problematic prince.
Such is the level of public outrage, there are calls for him to evict his 30-room mansion, Royal Lodge, and for his Prince title to be removed.
Over the years, Andrew’s reputation for being ‘entitled’ and ‘arrogant’ have gained momentum. And it seems he was no less demanding on his staff back when he was still living at Buckingham Palace.
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One former maid lifted the lid on working for Andrew – and shared details of his very odd bedroom. Charlotte Briggs, a former maid who worked at the Palace in the mid-90s, revealed that the prince had 72 cuddly toys on his bed.
She said the toys had to be lined up in size order, and it took staff an entire day to be trained on how to arrange them on his bed. She told the Sun: “As soon as I got the job, I was told about the teddies, and it was drilled into me how he wanted them. I even had a day’s training. Everything had to be just right. It was so peculiar.”
She added: “But he absolutely loved the teddies and was very clear about how he wanted them arranged.”
The biggest teddies were said to be put at the back, and the rest were in descending order of size to the smallest at the front. The prince’s two favourite teddies were placed on mahogany thrones at his bedside, Charlotte claimed.
The vast majority of teddies were dressed as sailors, in uniforms and caps, and came from all over the world.
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Charlotte claimed that the prince frequently lost his temper with the staff, especially if it involved his cuddly toys. She added: “It took me half an hour to arrange them – most bizarre thing to be paid for.”
Royal author Ingrid Seward, meanwhile, claimed that his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson slept among the teddies when they were together. The expert said she was surrounded by “around a dozen teddy bears” on his bed during their marriage.
In an ITV documentary about Andrew, there were more claims about the handwritten guide to arrange the toys and other items in the room. According to former royal protection officer Paul Page, the handwritten guide referred to two toy hippos, a black panther and bears, as well as three cushions called ‘Daddy’, ‘Ducks’ and ‘Prince’. It showed exactly where to place blankets, as well as five toys and a fur, which had ribbons that had to hang off the side of the bed.
According to Paul, the instructions were laminated and titled “DOY bed: Points for turn down & making the bed”, with Andrew keeping the accompanying sketch close to his bed while staying at the Palace.
And he would “scream and shout” if his servants failed to place them exactly how he wanted , ex protection officer Paul Page told ITV ‘s Ghislaine, Prince Andrew and the Paedophile.
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It comes after Andrew Lowrie’s explosive biography on Andrew and Fergie – Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York – lifted the lid on more of Andrew’s demands, with one former equerry for the Queen Mother describing Andrew as a “rude, ignorant sod”.
According to Lowrie’s book, Andrew insisted that the maids in his home climb four floors of stairs just to open his curtains for him in the morning – whilst he lay right beside them.
A source claimed: “His bedtime habits as a single man left a lot to be desired, and a collection of scrunched-up, soiled tissues usually lay scattered around the bed each morning for staff to collect after they had made his bed.”
And on one occasion, Andrew is said to have brought a television technical worker to his royal home in the middle of the night, insisting the technician explain how the remote worked. He is also alleged to have used his highly trained police protection officers to collect his used golf balls.