The former Prince Andrew, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, has seemingly had a challenging year. In October, King Charles demoted his brother, forcing Andrew to relinquish all royal titles and agree to vacate Royal Lodge. Now, a former Royal Family staff member has reflected on what it was like to work for the ex-Duke of York—and his recollections appear to be far from pleasant.
Royal biographer Andrew Lownie spoke to one of the Queen Mother's former equerries, Colin Burgess, for new book Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York. "I remember...he came into Clarence House and wanted something wrapped," Burgess recalled (via the Express). "He looked at me and barked: 'You, wrap that!' and pointed to some object. I just thought, you rude, ignorant sod, and felt like [knocking] him [out]."
Lownie further explained in his book, "It was obvious to Burgess in the way the royals viewed the Queen Mother's staff. For [King] Charles, they were her companions, but to Andrew staff were just employees and were to be treated as such."
Burgess recalled, "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." The former equerry explained, "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."
If Burgess's claims are true, it would appear as though the former Prince Andrew wasn't always liked by the Royal Family's employees.
