Prince Andrew’s dark past has erupted into public view, as former schoolmates and staff step forward with chilling accounts of cruelty, arrogance, and disturbing behavior that spanned decades. Once hailed as the Queen’s favorite son and a paragon of royalty, Andrew is now exposed as a man whose private conduct starkly contradicted his glittering public persona.
At Scotland’s elite Gordonstoun boarding school, Andrew was remembered not for leadership or kindness, but for an overwhelming sense of entitlement. Classmates and teachers describe him as openly arrogant, frequently bullying other students while bluntly using his royal status as a shield, with remarks like, "You do know who I am?" One former teacher confessed Andrew was “the only Windsor we couldn’t seem to discipline,” contrasting sharply with his brother Charles, who was reserved and sensitive to others’ feelings.
The disturbing pattern persisted into adulthood, permeating royal households. Staff across palatial estates recount regular belittlement, extravagant demands, and explosive tempers. It was not unusual, according to insiders, for Andrew to order maids to climb four flights of stairs just to open his curtains—while he watched from bed. An explosive biography detailed how Andrew treated all staff as servants to be commanded, not colleagues deserving respect, responding to minor errors with outbursts and little empathy. Several aides requested reassignment after volatile episodes, saying they "never knew what might set him off".[4][5][6]
Women who had romantic ties with Andrew echoed accounts of emotional immaturity and manipulation, describing him as vain, insecure, and obsessed with his royal image. "It was like dating a schoolboy who never grew up," one recalled, highlighting not just entitlement but a lack of genuine emotional connection.[4]
Royal observers and staff agree: the entitled, self-serving arrogance seen in Andrew’s current scandals was set early in his life. Many are unsurprised by the prince’s downfall, seeing his inability to accept criticism or humility as ingrained flaws. A former staffer summed it up: "He was, as one insider described, a man who confused fear with respect. That distinction between being admired and being obeyed was one he never truly understood."[6][4]
As his scandals mount and his royal privileges dwindle, Andrew now lives at the fringes of palace life, isolated and still believing he’s been wronged. The palace, under King Charles’s reformist leadership, faces intense pressure to reckon with Andrew’s dark legacy and restore accountability to the monarchy.