Palace staff ‘shaken’ after Andrew turned home into ‘Playboy Mansion’ | Royal | News
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor reportedly left palace staff “deeply shocked” after transforming the royal residence into something resembling the Playboy Mansion while partying with friends. Royal author Robert Jobson revealed the story in his book The Windsor Legacy last year and has now shared more details about the reactions to Andrew’s behaviour.
Speaking on The Royalist podcastMr Jobson said Palace staff were appalled and deeply shaken by what Andrew had to deal with after one of his “simple shooting weekends” at Sandringham House in Norfolk.
“We were horrified to have to clean up all this stuff that was distributed among the guests,” Jobson said, describing how condoms, lubricants and other sexual paraphernalia were found and, worse, distributed to guests by the host as party bags, according to the author.
“They were turning Sandringham, the Queen’s private home, into the Playboy Mansion,” Mr Jobson said. “It was pretty awful.” This incident comes just two weeks before the Royal Family arrives at Sandringham for Christmas.
Asked what King Charles knew about his brother’s behaviour, Mr Jobson explained that they had spoken privately and that Andrew had personally reassured his brother that he was not involved in “anything unusual”.
Mr Jobson added that the King took his brother at his word: “It’s surprising he promised, given that he knew full well he was lying.”
When it comes to the multimillion-pound compensation paid to Virginia Giuffre, who accused Andrew of sexual abuse, the author was blunt. “This is clearly hush money. No matter how you look at it.”
He said the payment appeared designed to prevent the scandal from breaking out in the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee year. “Anyone pay £12 million to someone they claim they don’t know? That’s ridiculous.”
The former Duke of York vehemently denies any wrongdoing.
Following the release of thousands of documents and photographs by the US Department of Justice, a photograph taken at Sandringham showed Andrew lying across the legs of five women, with his head close to one woman’s lap. Convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell also looks down and smiles in the shot.
Andrew was arrested in February on suspicion of abuse of public office during his time as Britain’s trade envoy. He was released after 11 hours at Norfolk police station and the investigation continues.
