As Andrew Mountbatten Windsor settles into a life of exile, sources say that there’s one huge problem with his new abode and it all boils down to his extensive teddy collection
Whisked away from his 30-room mansion under the cloak of darkness, Andrew Mountbatten Windsor has been exiled – and his home poses a major problem for his beloved teddies.
The disgraced former duke agreed to give up Royal Lodge last year when scrutiny over his links to Jeffrey Epstein reached dizzying heights. But until last week he’d remained in the property, packing up his extensive possessions and “wandering around muttering to himself”.
King Charles was reportedly so incensed to see Andrew trotting around the Windsor estate waving to the public – even after the latest tranche of Epstein files – that he extradited his brother’s move, sealing his exile for good. The ex-prince has now vacated to the King’s private Sandringham estate, where he is temporarily staying at Wood Farm. His permanent home will be Marsh Farm, a five-bedroom abode that needs major renovations.
READ MORE: Andrew used Epstein’s ‘Lolita Express’ and invited women to Buckingham Palace
But his precious collection of more than 60 teddy bears will not be joining him in Sandringham, according to German news outlet BILD. Andrew has reportedly only taken a single teddy to his new home – a cuddly monkey – with the rest of his collection, along with other belongings, stuck in storage – for ‘practical reasons’.
And the change is said to have hit him hard, with Heatworld reporting that Andrew was clinging onto his stuffed animal collection before the move. ‘He’s completely anthropomorphized them, to the point that he’s convinced the move out of Royal Lodge is going to be hard on them because, as he says, it’s their home too,’ a source said in December.
It’s believed that the move has been a mammoth task for the remaining staff at Royal Lodge, who were left to finish up packing when Andrew was booted out last minute.
The ex-due’s private conduct has long come under scrutiny, including persistent claims that he mistreated and demeaned palace staff behind closed doors. And a former housemaid has revealed what it was really like working for Andrew – even revealing particulars of his rather unusual bedroom.
Charlotte Briggs, an ex-maid employed at the Palace during the mid-90s, claimed that the prince kept 72 stuffed toys on his bed. She explained the toys needed to be positioned in order of size, and personnel required a full day’s instruction on how to position them on his bed.
She previously 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 largest teddies were reportedly positioned at the back, with the others arranged in descending size order down to the smallest at the front. Charlotte claimed Andrew’s two favourite teddies sat on mahogany thrones beside his bed. Most of the teddies were dressed as sailors, complete with uniforms and caps, and had been collected from around the globe.
Charlotte claimed Andrew often became frustrated with staff, particularly when it concerned his soft 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 his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson shared the bed with the teddies during their relationship. The expert said she was surrounded by “around a dozen teddy bears” on his bed throughout their marriage.
An ITV documentary about Andrew featured further claims about the handwritten instructions for arranging the toys and other belongings in the room. Former Royal protection officer Paul Page said the handwritten guide mentioned two toy hippos, a black panther and bears, plus three cushions labelled ‘Daddy’, ‘Ducks’ and ‘Prince’.
It specified exactly where to position blankets, along with five toys and a fur, which had ribbons that needed to dangle over the edge of the bed. According to Paul, the instructions were laminated and titled “DOY bed: Points for turn down and 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.
Meanwhile, Andrew Lowrie’s recent biography on Andrew and Fergie – titled The Rise and Fall of the House of York – revealed more of Andrew’s alleged demands, with one former equerry for the Queen Mother describing Andrew as a “rude, ignorant sod”.
According to Lowrie’s book, Andrew insisted that housekeeping staff in his residence climb four floors of stairs simply to open his curtains each 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.”
On one occasion, Andrew is said to have summoned a television technician to his royal residence in the middle of the night, demanding the worker explain how the remote control functioned. He is also alleged to have used his highly trained police protection officers to retrieve his used golf balls.
