The Duke of York had an “insane” list of demands while travelling abroad, including a 6ft ironing board and room-temperature water only, according to an ex-diplomat.
Former UK diplomat Simon Wilson is set to describe Prince Andrew’s wishes in the forthcoming ITV documentary The Real Crown: Inside the House of Windsor, which will be released on 20 April.
Wilson recalled receiving the list when he was working as the deputy head of a British mission to Bahrain in 2002. Andrew was the Special Representative for International Trade and Investment for the trip.
In the documentary, per Sky News, Wilson says: “We had a whole raft of things that came out in advance of his visit, his dislikes in terms of eating and stuff.
“[Andrew] would only drink water, it had to be at room temperature, no ice.”
The duke also insisted on bringing a “large entourage” on his journey, including “a private secretary, an equerry, a valet, a lady clerk and a business advisor”.
Wilson recalled: “We were shocked when a 6ft ironing board was trying to be negotiated into one of the embassy cars.
“I asked the valet and said, ‘This is insane’. And the valet’s response was, ‘No one knows how to iron his Royal Highness’s trousers like me’.”
The former diplomat also revealed that the duke would refuse to speak at events, even when he had a speech prepared for him.
He recalled an event during which Andrew initially “refused to get up”, and when he did, he “tapped the ambassador on the head two or three times and said, ‘This is the man who’ll tell you all about trade’ and sat down”.
“The whole room went totally silent,” Wilson added.
The Independent has contacted a representative of Andrew for comment.
Recently, the disgraced duke is said to have left his brother, King Charles, “tired and infuriated” over his refusal to move out of the Royal Lodge.
It has been reported that Charles wishes for Andrew to move out of the 30-bedroom mansion that he has occupied since 2004 and into the smaller five-bedroom Frogmore Cottage, the former UK residence of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
But Andrew is understood to be “resisting” any attempt to move him out of the Royal Lodge, despite having reportedly told his friends he would not be able to afford the cost of property maintenance if the King cuts his annual allowance.
Andrew stepped down as a working royal in 2020 over his links to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The Real Crown is set to reveal “the real behind-the-scenes story of the lives, loves, scandals, trials and tribulations of the world’s most famous family”.
The five-part series will feature interviews from key figures and “rarely seen footage” of the royal family.
The Independent has contacted Andrew’s representative for comment.
