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One of the late Queen Elizabeth's close confidants has issued a blistering verdict on Andrew's personality. Well known to be the former monarch's favourite son during the late Queen's reign, Andrew was seemingly somewhat protected by their close bond - but now his elder brother King Charles sits on the throne, it's a different story. Charles has taken a firmer hand with his younger brother than their late mother did. While the late Queen was willing to protect the crown over her beloved son to some extent, the shock statement released by Buckingham Palace confirmed that Andrew's titles would be formally removed. It was also announced that Andrew would be moving out of his lavish 30-room home, Royal Lodge, which he has occupied for over 20 years. The Grade II listed property near Windsor Castle had become a focus of public outcry, after it was revealed Andrew had only paid a "peppercorn" rent in the decades he has called it home. "These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him," the palace statement explained. Other than the strong statement distancing the Andrew 'problem' from the rest of the monarchy, the House of Windsor has stayed mum about the scandal - but one close family friend has opened up about her thoughts on the disgraced former duke. Speaking to Jane Garvey and Fi Glover for the Off Air with Jane & Fi podcast on Times Radio, Lady Glenconner - a former lady in waiting of Princess Margaret and friend of the late Queen - admitted that even since childhood, Andrew has always been a "handful". When asked if this went all the way back to his earliest years, Lady Glenconner explained: "He was a handful. I think that's what his nanny called him, a handful," and admitted, "He was quite forceful. I remember him snatching toys away from my son." The close friend of the royals revealed that it was possible the late Queen "spoiled" Andrew somewhat, but she noted that it was something many parents of that generation did. Lady Glenconner explained that she believed that the former monarch's intentions were nothing but good and borne from a desire to make life easier for her children than it had been for herself, growing up during the Second World War. "Maybe he was allowed to get away with more than the King and Princess Anne, yes," she admitted, adding: "I felt, and a lot of my friends felt, we'd been through a war, we had rationing, we were frightened, and there was the Queen and Princess Margaret at Windsor, and we wanted to compensate. "We wanted to give our children something that we hadn't had because of the war. My mother thought I spoiled my children because we used to go abroad, we used to go to a different capital every holiday. They had nice food, we took them out to restaurants...And so it was this thing, after the war, that we wanted to spoil our children, and I think that's probably what she did." Lady Glenconner, who revealed she regularly dines with King Charles, explained that she knew Andrew from when he was very small. "I knew Andrew because my son Henry was born three weeks after Andrew and because the Queen had him rather late in life, and all her friends' children were grown up she wrote to me. "I wrote to her and we exchanged something called a romper suit, which is what boys wore in those days, and he used to come down with Mabel, his nanny, quite often to visit us." The royal insider added that despite the health challenges King Charles has been facing, and the fact he has "got a lot of worries, obviously, at the moment," the monarch is "great. He's so much better." It comes as the US Congress has called for Andrew, now known only as Mountbatten Windsor, to appear for a transcribed interview due to his long-term friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein . Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said it's a matter for Andrew to decide himself, though the PM noted he would generally encourage anyone asked to speak to authorities to do so. Meanwhile, when asked about the ongoing controversy and changes in the Royal Family , Prince William refused to be drawn during a trip to Brazil for the Earthshot Prize this week, with an insider reportedly noting the future King "doesn't air family laundry in public."
