The revelation comes from past comments made by people who worked closely around the royal household. Former royal butler Paul Burrell once described Buckingham Palace as the “Gin Palace,” suggesting that alcohol and late-night drinks were not uncommon behind palace walls.

Within that environment, staff were also known to invent nicknames for members of the royal family. At one point, both Prince Harry and Prince Andrew were reportedly referred to as the “Dukes of Hazzard,” a play on the title of the 1979 American television series. The nickname was meant humorously, referring to the fact that they were both dukes who had caused various “hazards” or problems for the monarchy over the years.

Royal correspondent Kate Mansey later explained that the nickname originated among palace staff and reflected internal frustration. According to her reporting, the two princes were sometimes seen as challenges for King Charles, although Prince Andrew was often viewed as the more serious issue.

A ruder nickname revealed on television

An even more controversial nickname surfaced during an interview on the Australian program 60 Minutes. Former royal protection officer Paul Page spoke with journalist Tara Brown about the internal call signs used for members of the royal family.

Page explained that Prince Andrew’s official security code was “Purple 4-1,” which would be used over radio communication whenever he arrived at royal residences.

However, he added that Andrew also had a separate nickname used privately by some staff members. At first, Page hesitated to reveal it, warning that it might not be suitable for broadcast.

Eventually, he disclosed that the two-word nickname was extremely crude, referring to the prince simply as “The C***.” The explicit term was bleeped during the program.

According to Page, the nickname reflected the way some staff members felt about Andrew during the years he served in public life. He claimed that many people found the prince difficult to deal with and described him as rude, arrogant, and deeply entitled.

Page said Andrew was widely considered one of the least popular members of the royal family among staff during that period.

Ongoing controversy surrounding the Duke of York

Prince Andrew stepped back from royal duties in 2019 after his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein became the subject of intense scrutiny.

The controversy surrounding their relationship led to widespread criticism and eventually forced Andrew to withdraw from public royal work.

Reports have also described police investigations related to information allegedly shared between Andrew and Epstein while Andrew served as the United Kingdom’s trade envoy between 2001 and 2011.

According to statements from Scotland Yard, investigators contacted individuals who had served as protection officers during that period. They were asked to consider whether anything they witnessed might be relevant to ongoing inquiries.

Former head of royal protection Dai Davies later told Sky News that officers would likely have examined all of the locations associated with Epstein, including properties in the United States Virgin Islands, New Mexico, and Florida.

Davies suggested it was difficult to imagine that nothing had been noticed by anyone present during that time.