'I worked for Prince Andrew - he had a strict rule about teddies in his bedroom'

Prince Andrew's behaviour has long been a source of controversy, with claims he bullied and humiliated royal staff - and his demands behind closed doors were no less strange

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The King's disgraced younger brother has been practically exiled from royal life, as Andrew has officially given up his titles and agreed to move out of Royal Lodge.

Charles has begun the formal process to strip Andrew of his titles, who will move out of his Windsor home to a property on the Sandringham estate.

It is understood that although the former duke strongly denies all allegations levelled against him, the Palace deems that there have been "serious lapses of judgment".

Andrew's private conduct has long come under scrutiny, including persistent claims that he mistreated and demeaned Palace staff behind closed doors.

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And a former housemaid has revealed what it was really like working for Andrew - even revealing particulars of his rather unusual bedroom.

Charlotte Briggs, an ex-maid employed at the Palace during the mid-90s, claimed that the prince kept 72 stuffed toys on his bed.

She explained the toys needed to be positioned in order of size, and personnel required a full day's instruction on how to position them on his bed.

She previously told the Sun: "As soon as I got the job, I was told about the teddies, and it was drilled into me how he wanted them. I even had a day's training. Everything had to be just right. It was so peculiar."

She added: "But he absolutely loved the ­teddies and was very clear about how he wanted them arranged."

The largest teddies were reportedly positioned at the back, with the others arranged in descending size order down to the smallest at the front. Charlotte claimed Andrew's two favourite teddies sat on mahogany thrones beside his bed.

Most of the teddies were dressed as sailors, complete with uniforms and caps, and had been collected from around the globe.

Charlotte claimed Andrew often became frustrated with staff, particularly when it concerned his soft toys. She added: "It took me half an hour to arrange them - most bizarre thing to be paid for."

Royal author Ingrid Seward, meanwhile, claimed his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson shared the bed with the teddies during their relationship. The expert said she was surrounded by "around a dozen teddy bears" on his bed throughout their marriage.

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An ITV documentary about Andrew featured further claims about the handwritten instructions for arranging the toys and other belongings in the room.

Former Royal protection officer Paul Page said the handwritten guide mentioned two toy hippos, a black panther and bears, plus three cushions labelled 'Daddy', 'Ducks' and 'Prince'.

It specified exactly where to position blankets, along with five toys and a fur, which had ribbons that needed to dangle over the edge of the bed.

According to Paul, the instructions were laminated and titled "DOY bed: Points for turn down and making the bed", with Andrew keeping the accompanying sketch close to his bed while staying at the Palace.

And he would "scream and shout" if his servants failed to place them exactly how he wanted, ex protection officer Paul Page told ITV's Ghislaine, Prince Andrew and the Paedophile.

Meanwhile, Andrew Lowrie's recent biography on Andrew and Fergie - titled The Rise and Fall of the House of York - revealed more of Andrew's alleged demands, with one former equerry for the Queen Mother describing Andrew as a "rude, ignorant sod".

According to Lowrie's book, Andrew insisted that housekeeping staff in his residence climb four floors of stairs simply to open his curtains each morning - whilst he lay right beside them.

A source claimed: "His bedtime habits as a single man left a lot to be desired, and a collection of scrunched-up, soiled tissues usually lay scattered around the bed each morning for staff to collect after they had made his bed."

On one occasion, Andrew is said to have summoned a television technician to his royal residence in the middle of the night, demanding the worker explain how the remote control functioned. He is also alleged to have used his highly trained police protection officers to retrieve his used golf balls.