A new Channel 5 documentary titled ‘Andrew and Fergie: The Duke and Duchess of Excess’ has explored the lives of Prince Andrew and his now ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson. In the documentary, royal biographer Andrew Lonie claims that the Duke of York mistreated his staff members and said: “Andrew was particularly horrible to staff; he doesn’t seem to see them as normal people.”
He further explained Andrew would even get maids to “open the curtains”. He said: “He treats them as basically subordinates to be bossed around. I think he’s very narcissistic and everything is about him. He’ll summon his protection officer to pick up his golf balls after he’s teed them down the fairway, he will summon maids from four floors down to open the curtains. He will drop tissues he’s used on the floor and expect people to pick that up.”
The documentary continued: “Andrew has not commented on the new claims about his behaviour towards staff.”
A new biography, also now published by royal author Andrew Lownie, claims a startling insight into the private lives of the Duke of York and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson.
From relationships with women to Andrew’s mysterious finances, ‘Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York’ also dives into the prince’s ill-advised friendship with the disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epstein.
According to Lownie, Prince Harry gave Andrew a “bloody nose” during a heated argument at a 2013 family gathering. The book also claimed that Andrew later told his nephew that his marriage to Meghan Markle wouldn’t last more than a month – and also accused him of going “bonkers” before calling him out for not doing any due diligence into her past.
However, after the story was published in serialised extracts by the Daily Mail, Meghan and Harry’s lawyers shared a statement denying the claim. He openly accused Meghan of being an opportunist and thought she was too old for Harry, adding that his nephew was making the biggest mistake.
Representatives for the Duke of Sussex denied the fight ever happened, adding that Andrew never made the alleged comments. A spokesman for the Duke of Sussex told the Daily Mail: “I can confirm Prince Harry and Prince Andrew have never had a physical fight, nor did Prince Andrew ever make the comments he is alleged to have made about the Duchess of Sussex to Prince Harry.”
Its new book is the first joint biography of the pair, who still live together in Royal Lodge in Windsor and remain close friends. Andrew signed a 75-year lease for Royal Lodge, agreed by the Crown Estate, in 2003.
The Duke of York stepped down from royal duties in 2019, following a BBC Newsnight interview hosted by Emily Maitlis about his connection to the late and convicted paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein. Following the interview, the duke was stripped of his royal and military titles in 2021. He denies all allegations made against him.
To this day, polls show the Prince remains unpopular, with just nine percent of people polled by YouGov in the second quarter of 2025 having a favourable view of him.
