Jeffrey Epstein’s recent announcement that he would voluntarily relinquish his royal titles and honours has reignited public attention on the scandals surrounding the King’s disgraced brother, which he stated had become a “distraction” from the Royal Family’s important work. Prince Andrew has consistently denied the serious allegations made by the late Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexually assaulting her three times during her teenage years. Intensifying the scrutiny, Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, released recently, details her harrowing experiences as a victim of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Shockingly, the memoir also claims that she became pregnant and later miscarried four days after allegedly participating in an “orgy” involving Andrew, Epstein, and eight other teenage girls.

Public perception of Andrew’s decision to give up his titles as a meaningful act remains uncertain, particularly as the Metropolitan Police have confirmed they are “actively” investigating the royal. This investigation follows the emergence of a 2011 email that appears to show Andrew requesting his police bodyguard to gather sensitive information about his accuser, including her social security number and date of birth. While it has not been suggested that the officer acted on this request, sources within palace circles indicate that Andrew’s problematic behaviour has long been an “open secret,” encompassing allegations of bullying, belittling staff, entitled conduct, and a troubling attitude toward women.

A closer examination of Andrew’s allegedly warped private life and eccentric personality reveals a pattern of concerning conduct. An explosive biography, Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York by Andrew Lownie, details numerous claims about the former duke’s treatment of royal staff. One source asserted that Andrew believed his staff were “there to serve and not to question his actions,” often making extravagant and peculiar demands. These reportedly included insisting that maids climb four flights of stairs each morning to open his curtains while he remained in bed. Furthermore, a source claimed that his “bedtime habits as a single man left a lot to be desired,” describing how a “collection of scrunched-up, soiled tissues” would often lie scattered around his bed each morning for staff to collect. He is also alleged to have summoned a TV technician in the middle of the night to explain how to use a remote control.

Andrew’s interactions with staff were reportedly marked by rudeness. A former equerry to the Queen Mother described Andrew as a “rude, ignorant sod” who regularly barked orders, with “Do it!” becoming “his catchphrase of sorts.” This behaviour stood in stark contrast to the respectful treatment extended to staff by the late Queen Mother and King Charles. Additionally, Andrew is alleged to have misused his highly trained police protection officers, reportedly having them retrieve his used golf balls.

Dangerous driving was another troubling aspect of Andrew’s behaviour, which Lownie’s book terms his “favourite game” with his long-suffering protection officers. He would allegedly take off at high speeds, forcing his detail to take unnecessary risks to keep up, as they were required to remain with him at all times. The book recounts how Andrew would “insist on driving himself and then try to lose the back-up protection car by speeding up the motorway and suddenly turning off onto a side road.” Incidents include being caught speeding in 2002 and refusing to exit his car, leaving his bodyguard to deal with the police, and a 2009 petition from Windsor Great Park lodge keepers to the Queen regarding his reckless driving. In 2016, Andrew allegedly rammed malfunctioning sensor gates at Windsor Great Park with his Range Rover, causing “thousands of pounds worth of damage” rather than taking a short detour.

Andrew also developed a reputation for lacking social etiquette and making inappropriate jokes. During a lunch with Boris Johnson, then Mayor of London, Andrew reportedly complained repeatedly and later stuck his tongue out when Johnson pushed back, prompting the future Prime Minister to remark that dining with Andrew was “enough to drive someone to republicanism.” At a lecture in Indonesia in 2013, he allegedly made crude jokes about urinating on himself, shocking attendees. An ambassador described him as “weird,” noting that he “invaded one’s personal space, would rant, and was unable to read a room,” behaving “like a teenager.” Journalist Petronella Wyatt further commented on his inappropriate humour, stating, “He was as charming as a bull in a china shop.”

Further allegations concern Andrew’s apparent preferences for attractive women at official events during his tenure as a UK trade envoy. Lownie writes that Andrew’s staff often “requested that attractive women be invited to events,” with one private secretary reportedly specifying, “He likes blondes,” to which a consul famously replied, “I’m a diplomat, not a pimp.” While Andrew is alleged to have slept with over 1,000 women, from “Playboy bunnies to political figures,” he reportedly expected them to approach him. A family friend noted he was “bone idle and not very socially adept at chatting them up.”

Claims of bullying staff are also prevalent. Andrew is reported to have called a royal aide a “f**king imbecile” for using the wrong title for the Queen Mother. He allegedly insisted on specific protocols, such as everyone bowing when he entered a room and if they failed, he would reportedly leave and re-enter, saying, “Let’s try that again.” He is said to have dismissed one aide due to a mole on his face and another for “wearing a nylon tie,” often reducing staff to tears. It has been reported that Buckingham Palace prepared for “historic complaints about the duke’s bullying, profanities, and impossible demands” following similar allegations once levelled against Meghan Markle.

Perhaps most damning are the accusations labeling Andrew a “serial sex addict.” A former lover, a 20-year-old model, described him as having “no boundaries” in the bedroom, engaging in “kinky sexual activity,” and claiming an “open marriage arrangement.” She felt “used for a few days” to fulfil his “wildest fantasies.” Convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, whom Andrew once called one of his “closest friends,” reportedly referred to Andrew as a “serial sex addict” in 2007. During his time as a trade envoy, Andrew allegedly insisted on staying in expensive hotels instead of embassies, at the taxpayers’ expense. One shocking account describes his behaviour at a hotel in Thailand during the Thai King’s Diamond Jubilee, where he is alleged to have had as many as 40 women visit his room. Royal expert Tom Sykes confirmed Lownie’s account of “industrial-scale sexual consumption” under the guise of royal diplomacy, with one source claiming Andrew viewed “access to a revolving door of female bodies as part of the perks of office” and engaged in sending “girls to each other via luxury car services in a horrific power play.”

Finally, Andrew reportedly indulged in bizarre and humiliating pranks, including placing an open tube of mustard in unsuspecting guests’ hands while they clapped with closed eyes, pushing a dinner companion’s face into their meal, and unzipping a woman’s dress completely at a society event.