After decades of silence, Prince Andrew’s former maid exposes his volatile temper, loneliness, and obsession with power inside Buckingham Palace, revealing how the prince’s charm masked a deeper insecurity that ultimately shaped the scandals and isolation that define his life today.

For years, Prince Andrew’s reputation has been clouded by controversy — from royal scandals to public scrutiny — but now, a voice from inside the palace has come forward to shed light on what life was truly like behind closed doors.

The woman who served as his personal maid in the 1990s, identified only as “Mary,” has decided to break her silence after decades of silence, revealing details that paint a complex and at times disturbing portrait of the Duke of York.

Mary, now in her sixties and living quietly in the English countryside, worked for Prince Andrew at Buckingham Palace and later at his official residence, the Royal Lodge in Windsor.

“He could be charming,” she said in her first-ever interview.

“But when the doors closed and no one was watching, there was another side — colder, more demanding, and sometimes cruel.”

According to Mary, the prince’s behavior toward palace staff oscillated between bursts of warmth and moments of intense irritation.

“He had an ego the size of the palace itself,” she confessed with a weary laugh.

“If his shoes weren’t polished the way he liked, or if breakfast was five minutes late, he’d throw a fit.

I once saw him hurl a serving dish across the room because his eggs were too runny.”

What shocked her most, however, wasn’t his temper — but his attitude toward people he considered “beneath” him.

Mary recalled how Andrew rarely addressed maids or footmen directly, preferring instead to give orders through senior staff.

“He’d talk about you like you weren’t there,” she said.

“Once, he referred to me as ‘that girl who folds my shirts,’ even though I’d been working there for years.”

Still, she admits that there were moments when he appeared deeply human.

“Sometimes, late at night, he’d come downstairs for tea,” Mary said softly.

“He’d sit at the kitchen table and talk about how hard it was to live in the shadow of his brother and mother.

You could tell he was lonely.”

Mary’s decision to speak now comes after years of reflection, and after the recent controversies that have engulfed the royal family.

She insists she doesn’t intend to “tear down” the monarchy but wants people to understand the human realities behind royal walls.

“Everyone sees the glamour, the medals, the photo ops,” she said.

“But no one sees the exhaustion, the fear, the hierarchy that eats people alive.”

One of her most startling claims involves the way Andrew treated his personal image.

“He was obsessed with how he looked in photographs,” she revealed.

“He’d make us iron his trousers five times before an event.

He’d stand in front of the mirror, practicing his smile for minutes on end.”

In one particularly tense memory, Mary recalled an incident in 1996 — the same year his divorce from Sarah Ferguson was finalized.

“He was pacing in his dressing room, muttering under his breath about being ‘the forgotten son,’” she said.

“He slammed his fist on the dresser and said, ‘Charles gets the crown, I get the headlines.’”

Despite the uncomfortable moments, Mary also described a man who was at times vulnerable and misunderstood.

“He wasn’t all bad,” she admitted.

“When his daughters were young, he was a loving father.

You’d see him light up around them — it was the only time he seemed truly happy.”

The former maid also recalled witnessing several high-profile visitors at the palace during her tenure, including political figures and celebrities.

“There was a sense that everyone who entered the palace had to play a part,” she said.

“No one was ever fully themselves — not even the royals.”

When asked whether she believed the scandals that later surrounded the prince reflected the man she once knew, Mary hesitated before answering.

“Let’s just say nothing surprises me anymore,” she said quietly.

“What I saw back then was someone used to getting whatever he wanted — and people who were too afraid to say no.”

Her revelations add yet another layer to the already complicated public image of Prince Andrew, whose life has been defined by privilege, controversy, and retreat from public duty.

For Mary, speaking out was less about revenge and more about release.

“I carried these memories for too long,” she said.

“The truth deserves to be heard — even if it comes too late.”

Her story may not change the royal narrative, but it forces the world to look beyond the polished portraits and gilded palaces — to see the loneliness, power, and moral struggle that lie beneath the crown.