Andrew Mountbatten Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office (Image: Getty Images)
Despite being understood to be the late Queen’s favourite son, it seems Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor wasn’t particularly popular amongst royal household staff. A former employee has revealed what the ex-prince is genuinely like behind the scenes, claiming he had a “grim” catchphrase for personnel which left them “humiliated”.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has always been said to relish the finer things in life. Even after King Charles removed his titles, it’s alleged that the ex-duke continued to expect royal treatment from staff, enjoying full cooked breakfasts prepared by a personal chef and ordering weekly deliveries of champagne and fine wines.
Royal insiders, from commentators to ex-employees, have labelled the disgraced royal “entitled” in numerous accounts.
According to respected royal author Andrew Lownie, Andrew’s mindset was that his staff were “there to serve and not to question his actions”, reports the Mirror.
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor has been arrested (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
He reportedly made peculiar demands of royal workers, and would supposedly “scream and shout” if these weren’t carried out. The author interviewed one of the Queen Mother’s former equerries, Colin Burgess, for his book ‘Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York.’
Burgess said: “I saw Andrew about once a month, when he came to visit Clarence House, and he would talk to the staff, including me, as an officer talks to his subordinates.”
He alleged Andrew lacked the same courteous manner as his mother when addressing staff and continued: “He would say things such as ‘I want this done and I want it done now,’ or ‘Have that done by such and such a time.’ I remember him always saying ‘Do it!’ which was his catchphrase of sorts.”
This stood in sharp contrast to how the equerry was approached by the Queen Mother or King Charles, who regarded staff as “human beings”.
Meanwhile, in Lownie’s book, ‘Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York’, he alleges that Andrew demanded the housekeepers in his residence ascend four flights of stairs simply to draw back his curtains each morning, all whilst he remained in bed next to them.
Andrew also purportedly dismissed a staff member because he “couldn’t bear” the sight of a mole on his face, and similarly orchestrated the removal of an employee for sporting a nylon tie, according to royal author Tom Quinn.
Following his removal from Royal Lodge, recent reports indicate Andrew has considerably fewer staff available at the much smaller, Marsh Farm on the Sandringham Estate.
It is reported Andrew did not treat household staff like the late Queen did (Image: GETTY)
It’s been reported that before Andrew’s arrest last week, his brother, King Charles had proposed providing him with a Sandringham cleaner, groundsman and cook on an occasional basis – but this suggestion was not well received.
On Thursday, the disgraced former prince was released under investigation following his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Thames Valley Police is investigating claims that while serving as the UK’s trade envoy, he shared sensitive information with disgraced financier and child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor, who turned 66 on Thursday, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in relation to his connections to Epstein.