On more than one occasion Prince Andrew was 'stunningly rude' to the people around him, according to a royal family expert.
Not long before an engagement in Richmond Park, London that the late Queen and Duke of York were due to take part in it began to rain heavily.
No one had remembered to bring the monarch an umbrella.
With half an hour to go the Queen's press secretary James Roscoe went in search of one for her, reports author Valentine Low in the MailOnline as part of an adapted version of his upcoming book Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind The Crown.
Mr Roscoe came across a group of Army officers there to meet the Queen and asked the most junior member, a captain, if they minded trying to find an umbrella as well as someone who could "ideally" hold it and walk beside her.
The author claims that Andrew at that point marched up to the press secretary pointing a finger towards his face and saying: "Who the f*** are you to ask these men to find you a f***ing umbrella? You go and find your own f***ing umbrella."
After the prince walked off a stunned Mr Roscoe asked the officer if he could find him an umbrella, which he did.
Around a week later the Queen and her press secretary were discussing something else when she asked him if he asked the Duke of York "to fetch you an umbrella?"
Mr Low alleges that Andrew had told his version of event to his mother first, after realised that swearing at her employee was a bad idea.
The press officer replied: "What do you think, Ma'am? Do you think I asked the Duke of York to fetch an umbrella?" where the matter ended.
On another occasion, the author claimed Andrew acted stunningly rude when the prince's aide Amanda Thirsk asked a senior courtier for help in dissuading him from a particular course of action.
After delicately speaking with Andrew on the subject, he is to said have replied "f*** off" out of both his "office" and "life".
Elsewhere, details from the new book - published on October 6 by Headline - claim that Andrew became "boorish" as his marriage to Sarah Ferguson disintegrated and his naval career - where he served a piolet in the Falklands war - finished.
His horizons in life reduced and hobbies rarely drifted past golf, videos and women.
Buckingham Palace workers claimed Andrew was "just dreadful" and made "little effort" while shouting at whoever answered the phone when making calls.
But even people who were privately critical of Andrew believed that he made "real effort" with his work, which included a decade-long position as a trade envoy to the government from 2001.
Letters written by chief executives thanked him for helping "unlock deal" stuck in the likes of Qatar or Central Asia for years.
He was referred to by some as a good team leader who cared for his staff and many of his former employees have stayed loyal to him, says Mr Low,
The book tells of how although a few ambassadors were happy Andrew was present, others complained of his "brusque to the point of rude" behaviour.
