By Molly Claire Goddard
3:24pm PDT, Oct 16, 2025
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Queen Elizabeth II was forced to reprimand
Prince Andrew and
Sarah Ferguson for running royal staffers ragged, a former butler claimed.
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According to ex-royal butler
Paul Burrell, former couple Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson left kitchen staff "up in arms" when they moved into Buckingham Palace. "From the beginning, the royal newlyweds refused to leave their marital bed," he
recalled. "The maids weren't allowed to go into the bedroom to make the bed for days. When the couple did surface, they held lavish dinner, lunch and tea parties with all their friends."
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Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson's disregard for royal protocol did not sit well with Queen Elizabeth II. "[The staff] were used to serving food to the Queen and the royal family at set times. It was too much. The staff rebelled and protests were made to the master of the household, who informed the queen of her staff's unhappiness," Paul Burrell said. "She had to intervene and put a stop to the lavish gluttony. After all, she despised waste, deciding in advance which food should be cooked for her each day. So why should Andrew and Fergie be different?"
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Paul Burrell also claimed Prince Andrew was "never easy" to work for. "The kitchen staff were run off their feet. Even Queen Elizabeth II didn't entertain so extravagantly. The royal chefs were furious to be making food like it was an á la carte restaurant," he said.
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Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew are currently embroiled in a scandal over their ties to Jeffrey Epstein. The Duchess of York was recently dropped from several charities, and both she and the duke have been removed from their official royal duties.
