King Charles III’s younger brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s hours of celebrations come to an end as a former British diplomat slammed him for his unacceptable behaviour.
Simon Wilson, who held the position of deputy ambassador to Bahrain between 2001 and 2005, has exposed the former prince Andrew in a shocking move.
Wilson worked alongside Andrew throughout the latter’s decade-long stint promoting British commerce abroad.
“I have to say I was a little bit surprised about how sort of cocky he was,” Wilson said.
When the former Duke of York assumed the unpaid trade envoy position in 2001, Foreign Office staff were hopeful the appointment would strengthen ties with Gulf Royal Families.
In an interview with 60 Minutes Australia, Wilson claimed: “We started to get reams of instructions about his likes and dislikes in terms of food, that he didn’t drink alcohol, tea or coffee, but would drink still water, room temperature, no ice.”
He added: “One thing that was noticeable… was that his staff seemed to be petrified of him.”
Wilson claimed there was a stark contrast between Windsor’s entourage and those serving other senior royals.
Private secretaries to other members of the Royal Family were typically “very proud” of their roles and enjoyed overseas travel, he explained.
The politician referred to his staff, claiming: “You really got the impression that they were really uncomfortable all the time, treading on eggshells, didn’t want to put a foot wrong.”
The former diplomat suggested that embassy personnel responsible for organising visits were similarly cautious
Wilson further alleged that he refused commercial aviation, even when offered first-class seats, insisting upon private aircraft instead.
He claimed that rather than staying at ambassadorial residences, which would have cost nothing, Mr Mountbatten-Windsor selected the most opulent hotels available.
The former diplomat expressed surprise that the 66-year-old remained in the role for a decade, given the persistent problems.
Despite the controversial claims, various politicians defended Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie’s father’s work record in the past.
Former Chancellor George Osborne stated that “he’s done a good job in recent years”, adding that he had “promoted British exports”.
Then-Foreign Secretary William Hague also remarked that the King’s brother was representing Britain “very well”.