Prince Andrew's Teddy Bear Tantrums: A Pyramid of Peculiarities

Prince Andrew's peculiarities are making headlines again, and this time, it's all about teddy bears.

The Duke of York reportedly has an unusual obsession with his extensive collection of teddy bears, which, according to royal author Tom Quinn, must be placed in a perfect pyramid on his bed daily. Any deviation from this specific arrangement reportedly triggers Andrew's temper—a detail that seems to fit snugly into the eccentricities often attributed to royals.

In Quinn's latest book, "Yes, Ma’am: The Secret Life of Royal Servants," drawn from interviews with palace staff past and present, the author paints Prince Andrew as a man who doesn't shy away from enforcing strict rules for his furry friends. A particular maid was even assigned to arrange the bears daily, as her precision met Andrew's peculiar standards. The royal's collection reportedly includes 20 to 30 bears, each carefully arranged, and any mistakes in their positioning could spark his fury. We're talking pyramid perfection or bust.

Quinn claims this behavior is emblematic of Andrew's overall approach to his staff, whom he allegedly views as "irritatingly stupid." This sentiment seems exacerbated by his frustrations over being sidelined as a working royal, compounded by his belief that he would have been a better king than his introspective brother, King Charles.

Prince Andrew’s love for teddy bears isn’t exactly breaking news. Former Buckingham Palace maid Charlotte Briggs once revealed her experience arranging Andrew’s collection in the mid-‘90s, which reportedly included 72 bears dressed in sailor suits and hats. Briggs even underwent training to ensure she positioned the bears exactly as instructed. Talk about workplace quirks.

Andrew’s supposed tantrums over misplaced teddies were even dramatized in the Netflix drama Scoop, where Rufus Sewell plays the royal berating a maid for failing to meet his standards. And if you thought this eccentricity couldn’t go further, Quinn recounts tales of Andrew allegedly relocating staff members due to facial moles or nylon ties that displeased him. Yes, facial moles.

But Prince Andrew isn’t alone in his peculiarities. Quinn also highlighted King Charles’ fondness for his childhood teddy bear, his demand for six eggs daily to ensure two are perfectly cooked, and his insistence on pre-applied toothpaste on his toothbrush. Charles’ quirks, though extravagant, seem to pale in comparison to Andrew’s pyramid of plush perfection.

It’s clear that eccentricities run deep in royal veins, but Andrew's teddy bear tantrums might just take the crown for quirkiest royal habit. One has to wonder: does teddy bear arrangement rank alongside other critical palace duties?