Prince Andrew should be subject of bullying probe over ’12 complaints’ made by Palace staff

Prince Andrew should be subject to a bullying probe over 12 complaints made by Buckingham Palace staff because of his overbearing and verbally abusive behaviour, a former royal officer has said.

Paul Page has claimed he personally made three separate complaints to the Palace during the time worked in the Royal Protection Command from 1998 until 2004.

And speaking to The Sunday Mirror, be said that he is aware of ‘at least a dozen’ other reports made by colleagues about the Duke of York.

‘The Palace have a problem because there are instances and evidence of Prince Andrew being overbearing and verbally abusive,’ he told the newspaper.

Paul Page has claimed he personally made three separate complaints to the Palace about Adnrew during the time worked in the Royal Protection Command from 1998 until 2004. Pictured: Mr Page speaking in ITV documentary ‘ Ghislaine, Prince Andrew and the Paedophile’ that aired on Monday

Mr Page alleged his complaints during his time working for the Palace were ignored because senior courtiers wanted to avoid agitation, and called on officials to launch an investigation into the complaints in the same way they did with Meghan Markle.

‘Buckingham Palace launched a bullying investigation against Meghan last year after she was accused of wrongdoing,’ Mr Page, whose revelations in an ITV documentary this week sparked a string of complaints about the duke, said.

‘If it’s a fair organisation that looks after its staff, an investigation should be started to confirm whether or not Andrew is guilty of being a bully and of intimidating staff.’

Earlier this week, Mr Page claimed that Andrew had a bed with ’50 or 60′ stuffed toys and maids were given a laminated picture so each bear could carefully be put back in its original position.

The former constable, who left the Metropolitan Police in 2007, was part of the elite Royal Protection Squad and had access to the Duke of York’s private residence. 

He told The Sunday Mirror that Andrew’s bullying was ‘well known’ at the palace, but no investigation was conducted by officials. 

Mr Page claimed Andrew called his colleague a ‘fat lardy-a***d c***’ when he stopped a woman at the gates who had not been correctly invited as a guest. His outburst, Mr Page says, resulted in even the woman going ‘bright red’ and apologising profusely.

His comments came in an ITV documentary: ‘Ghislaine, Prince Andrew and the Paedophile’ that aired on Monday.

‘It had about 50 or 60 stuffed toys positioned on the bed and basically there was a card the inspector showed us in a drawer and it was a picture of these bears all in situ,’ he said. ‘The reason for the laminated picture was if those bears weren’t put back in the right order by the maids, he would shout and scream.’

Mr Page’s comments prompted Charlotte Briggs – a former Buckingham Palace maid who worked there in 1996 when Andrew was in his 30s – to come forward with her own allegations.

Charlotte Briggs began working at Buckingham Palace in 1996 when she was 21, but within six months was tasked with being Andrew’s maid; a job that ‘nobody wanted,’ she said. Pictured: Andrew in 1996

Ms Briggs claimed on Thursday that she was ‘left in tears’ by Andrew’s foul-mouth rants, and on one occasion faced his wrath over a tiny gap in his curtains.

Speaking to The Sun, Ms Briggs said the prince yelled at her: ‘Can’t you f***ing do anything right?’ as she ran up and down the stairs to fix the curtains, some of which he was sitting a matter of yards away from.

‘This man fought for his country in the Falklands but couldn’t stand up to close his own curtains,’ the 47-year-old mother of two told the newspaper.

‘It was utterly ridiculous but spoke volumes about him,’ she added. 

Ms Briggs, 47, said she had no regrets about speaking out over the Duke’s ‘demanding and entitled’ foul-mouthed rants, which she claimed left her in tears.

Speaking to MailOnline in her hometown of Halifax, West Yorkshire, she said: ‘I don’t give a toss what Prince Andrew feels… he is a horrible, nasty man.’

She added: ‘It has been more than 26 years and I did sign (a privacy agreement) under the official secrets act.

‘But my husband and I saw the TV programme during the week when his teddy bears were mentioned and he said it was a good time for me to speak about what happened to me too.’ 

The mother of two said she had been criticised in her hometown today after her revelations made front page news.

Charlotte Briggs (pictured), 47, said she had no regrets about speaking out over his ‘demanding and entitled’ foul-mouthed rants

Ms Briggs began working at Buckingham Palace in 1996 when she was 21, but within six months was tasked with being Andrew’s maid; a job that ‘nobody wanted,’ she said

Ms Briggs called the Duke of York (pictured right in 2019 with The Queen) ‘demanding and entitled’

Ms Briggs, from Halifax, broke her silence to The Sun after Prince Andrew was stripped of his military titles amid a sex assault lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre in the United States. The Duke of York vehemently denies the allegations

‘When I was in the supermarket someone accused me of cashing in on him, but I’m entitled to speak about what happened to me even though it was so long ago.

‘I am not sorry at all. But I have been hurt by some of the remarks against me.’

She said despite the Duke of York’s arrogant attitude towards her, she never witnessed or heard of any improper behaviour by him.

The Prince faces a sex abuse trial and details of his angry outbursts are likely to cause him further embarrassment as he prepares to give sworn testimony against claims by Virginia Giuffre.

She has accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17 — which he vehemently denies.

Diplomat Simon Wilson, who hosted the duke in Bahrain, has previously claimed Andrew was ‘rude’ and ‘boorish’ and had ‘childish obsessions’. He was even nicknamed HBH (His Buffoon Highness) by staff.

Former maid Janette McGowan, 65, has claimed she was the one who had to check a polaroid of the teddy bears to make sure they were in the correct position.

The revelations about the Duke’s outbursts will likely cause him even more embarrassment as he prepares testify against the claims made by Ms Giuffre.

It also comes after The Queen – his mother – stripped him of his royal titles, and as he is facing calls to be evicted from the Royal Lodge in Windsor where he currently lives with his ex-wife Ferguson – whom he was pictured driving with on Saturday.