The disgraced ex-duke was booted out of the Royal Lodge and is now living on King Charles Sandringham estate – the same can’t be said for his collection of stuffed toys
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has reportedly been torn from his beloved 60-strong teddy bear collection as he made a dramatic exit from Royal Lodge and heads for a new life in Sandringham.
The disgraced former prince was seen on Thursday travelling from Marsh Farm on King Charles’ private estate in the sprawling Norfolk retreat that is now set to become his new bolthole.
But the dozens of stuffed animals that the grown man is weirdly obsessed with apparently aren’t coming with him.
German newspaper BILD claims the bulk of the bears have been left behind and, instead, Andrew is said to have clutched just a single teddy as he relocated.
The rest of the toys, along with furniture and personal belongings, are being shoved into storage “for practical reasons”.
Amid the turmoil, Andrew is understood to have been fiercely protective of his much-loved bear collection.
An insider previously told Heatworld that emotions were running high as he struggles to cope with the upheaval in his life after he was stripped of his royal titles over his damning association with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
“He’s completely anthropomorphised them, to the point that he’s convinced the move out of Royal Lodge is going to be hard on them because, as he says, it’s their home too,” the source said in December.
“It really seems like being forced to move has sent him into a full-on meltdown because he keeps telling people the bears won’t cope with the change, it’s like he’s transferring his own emotions onto them, the way a little kid would.”
Several former Buckingham Palace staff members have previously spoken out about what they say they witnessed in Prince Andrew’s former bedroom during their time in royal service, including a bed covered in cuddly toys.
Charlotte Briggs, a former maid who worked at the Palace in the mid-90s, claimed the prince had a staggering 72 teddies carefully displayed.
According to her, the soft toys had to be arranged in strict size order, and staff were forced to undergo training to get it right.
Speaking to The Sun, she said: “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 biggest bears were allegedly positioned at the back, with the rest lined up in descending size order down to the smallest at the front.
Charlotte also claimed that Andrew’s two favourite teddies were given pride of place, perched on mahogany thrones beside his bed.
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