Spoilt Prince Andrew made me run up four flights of stairs to shut curtains while he sat next to them, says former maid
PRINCE Andrew forced a maid to run up four flights of stairs to close his curtains — as he sat next to them. Former Buckingham Palace worker Charlotte Briggs was left in tears by the “demanding and entitled” Duke of York’s foul-mouthed rants. Lazy Prince Andrew blew his top at a tiny gap in his […]
PRINCE Andrew forced a maid to run up four flights of stairs to close his curtains — as he sat next to them.
Former Buckingham Palace worker Charlotte Briggs was left in tears by the “demanding and entitled” Duke of York’s foul-mouthed rants.
Lazy Prince Andrew blew his top at a tiny gap in his curtains and yelled at his maid: “Can’t you f***ing do anything right?”
The Duke of York’s former servant Charlotte Briggs suffered his sweary outburst as she ran up and down stairs to deal with heavy drapes yards from where he was sitting.
Charlotte, 47, said she was left in tears and ended up hiding behind curtains to avoid the bad-tempered and “entitled” royal.
She added: “This man fought for his country in the Falklands but couldn’t stand up to close his own curtains.
“It was utterly ridiculous but spoke volumes about him.
“Andrew definitely put a downer on things. He thinks he’s above everyone.” In contrast, Charlotte said other royals, including Princes Charles and Edward, were “wonderful”.
She was 21 when she started work at Buckingham Palace in January 1996. Within six months she got the job “nobody wanted” — being maid to Andrew shortly after his divorce from Sarah Ferguson.
The grumpy Duke, then 36 and a veteran of the Falklands War, frequently flew off the handle and expected everything to be done for him.
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Charlotte broke her silence after he was stripped of his military titles amid a sex assault lawsuit with Virginia Giuffre in the US.
Charlotte told how his pillows were embroidered with the Royal Crest, which had to be dead centre on his four-poster with his pyjamas and teddies carefully laid out.
The mum of two, from Halifax, West Yorks, added: “I’d been there six months when the job to become Andrew’s maid came up. “He’d moved back to the Palace after his divorce from Fergie.
“Nobody wanted the job because of his reputation for tantrums and sweary outbursts.
“It didn’t put me off. I thought, ‘Sod it, I’m going to go for it’. “I’d moved down from Yorkshire to Buckingham Palace and wanted to take on the challenge, to look after the royals.
“The first few months I hadn’t seen many royals. Most of my time was spent focusing on offices.
“I’d seen Edward on my first day. He opened the door for me to empty some bins and was lovely. “But this was my opportunity to do what I’d come to London to do.
“I’d not been there long — not long enough to look after a royal — but I thought I’m going to do it and I got the job.”
Andrew had set up home on the “nursery floor” where he, Prince Charles, Edward and Anne had played as children.
But despite being a strapping grown man with a military background he refused to do anything for himself, said Charlotte.
She added: “There were two of us and we worked on a rota from 6.30am to 11.30am and then later on in the evening.
“We’d turn down his bed, remove his teddies, do the curtains and lay out his pyjamas. But he was a bad apple and behaved like a spoiled brat.
‘IT WAS AWFUL’
“Really you weren’t actually meant to be seen, you’d just sneak in and do stuff.
“But he was a bit lazy and he would call down from his office and say, ‘Can you send the maid to shut the curtains’.
“They were literally behind him and massive — from floor to ceiling and as high as a house. But he refused to get up and close them himself.
“I’d have to get on my evening dress, run up four flights of stairs and he’d be sitting there at his desk right next to them.
“One night I’d done it all, I walked back into the corridor and he came out screaming, ‘Can’t you f***ing do anything right?’ I’d left a little gap where they met but they were extremely heavy.
“I was thinking, ‘You want to shut your own curtains’ but you can’t say anything. You have to absorb it.
“It was awful and he brought me to tears. I was only 21 and had little life experience.”
Charlotte added: “In Yorkshire if a lad were to come home and insist on someone else drawing blinds he’d get a clip round the ear.
“He wouldn’t get away with that up here. That’s what folk do. They stand on their own two feet and get on with it.
“I was a young woman, much smaller than him, and I hadn’t served in the Navy.
“Yet, he sat at his desk and insisted on someone else pulling his curtains. I’d be embarrassed.
“I’d looked after ladies-in-waiting and they’d just do things by themselves. They were lovely.
“But Andrew was extremely demanding. Everything had to be immaculate and he threw his weight around. I often tried to hide.
‘HE RUINED MY TIME AT THE PALACE’
“I’d see him come out and hide behind the curtains and think, ‘Right, he’s gone’.
“I used to call him Sir, but not Your Royal Highness. I didn’t think he deserved it. He ruined my time at the Palace and made it miserable.
“The others were lovely. Charles and Edward, especially. They weren’t anything like Andrew.
“I bumped into the Duke of Edinburgh in the corridor and he was so nice and gentlemanly.
“I was even hugged by Nelson Mandela. Andrew was a world away from him. You couldn’t get a bigger contrast.
“Nelson Mandela appreciated everything he had and never underestimated the huge responsibility he had as a human being. Andrew was just entitled.”
Charlotte added: “Everyone knew he was horrible. I’ve worked with all the other royals and they are really nice.
“Prince Andrew was my main guy but I also worked at Sandringham for Prince Charles just before Princess Diana died.
“Charles was so nice and caring. He showed empathy and kindness.
“But Andrew was just arrogant and it’s a shame because it probably ruined my experience.
“Maybe if I hadn’t worked for him I would have stayed longer working for the royals.
“If I had worked for another one, like Charles or Edward, I think I would have enjoyed it much more.”
‘IT’S THE QUEEN I FEEL SORRY FOR’
Charlotte, who lived in the Palace and was paid £600 a month, was pictured on the royal balcony ahead of Trooping the Colour in 1996.
She left shortly before Diana’s death in August 1997 after becoming lonely and returned to her parents in Yorkshire. She went on to work in hotels but is now a full-time married mum.
Dad-of-two Andrew is said to be in turmoil after the Queen stripped him of royal titles as he faces a sex abuse trial.
Details of his angry outbursts are likely to cause him further embarrassment as he prepares to give sworn testimony against claims by Ms Giuffre. She has accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17 — which he vehemently denies.
Andrew currently lives with his former wife Fergie at Royal Lodge in Windsor close to the Castle.
But he is now facing calls to be evicted after he quit royal duty in 2019 amid links to dead paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Charlotte added: “It’s the Queen I feel sorry for. It must be hard for her.”
Buckingham Palace and a spokesman for Prince Andrew declined to comment last night.
