Prince Andrew kept Sarah Ferguson’s wedding dress in his wardrobe after they split, his former maid has claimed.
The 61-year-old royal moved back into Buckingham Palace after his marriage to the Duchess of York broke down in 1992 and although his former wife wasn’t welcome at the residence, Charlotte Briggs claimed her make-up was carefully laid out on the dressing table every day.
Charlotte told The Sun newspaper: “Although she didn’t live there, her make-up was still laid out on a dressing table.
“I used to have to pick up all these eyeliners, mascaras and powders, dust underneath them and lay them back out every single day.
“But she was never there. She didn’t live there and she certainly wasn’t welcome back after what she’d been up to.
“Her clothes were there, so too were her shoes — and even her wedding dress was still hung up in the wardrobe. It was creepy.
“It was all laid as if she was there. I couldn’t understand why I was cleaning around it all when she wasn’t going to be coming back.
“He’d moved back home and she wasn’t welcome.
“I polished the dressing table every day but I never saw her.”
Charlotte left her job in 1997 but admitted she would have stayed at the palace longer if she’d worked for one of the other royals.
She said: “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.
“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.”
The former maid admitted she even used to hide from the demanding prince.
She said: “Andrew was extremely demanding. Everything had to be immaculate and he threw his weight around. I often tried to hide.
“I’d see him come out and hide behind the curtains and think, ‘Right, he’s gone’.”