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The Duke of York’s love of his soft toy collection meant he would throw a tantrum if the teddy bears were moved, an ITV documentary will allege.

A laminated picture of Andrew’s favoured possessions was said to be kept in a drawer to help household staff properly place them on his bed.

The claims will be made by former royal protection officer Paul Page in the ITV programme Ghislaine, Prince Andrew and the Paedophile, which is due to be screened on Tuesday.

Speaking about the duke’s private apartment, Mr Page said: “It had about 50 or 60 stuffed toys positioned on the bed.

“And, basically, there was a card the inspector showed us in a drawer, and it was a picture of these bears all in situ on the bed.

“And the reason for the laminated picture was that, if those bears weren’t put back in the right order by the maids, he would shout and scream and become verbally abusive.”

Andrew is facing a civil sexual assault lawsuit from a woman who alleges she was trafficked to have sex with him by his friend Jeffrey Epstein.

The duke, who denies the allegation, was last week stripped of his honorary military roles and royal patronages after losing a legal bid to have the case thrown out.

Ghislaine Maxwell Epstein’s former girlfriend, was convicted on December 29 of procuring teenage girls for Epstein and will be sentenced this summer.

Epstein was found dead in his cell at a federal jail in Manhattan in August 2019 while he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. The death was ruled a suicide.

Two of those contributing to the documentary suggested Andrew and Maxwell were so comfortable around each other they gave the impression they had been in a relationship.

Euan Rellie, who socialised with Maxwell, said: “I got the sense that Prince Andrew and Ghislaine had probably been boyfriend and girlfriend in the past. They had an easy warmth around each other.”

Mr Page, who said he believes he first met Maxwell in 2001, added: “From the way she was allowed to enter and exit the palace, go in and out, we thought she was having an intimate relationship with Prince Andrew.

“A colleague of mine remembers her coming in four times in one day, from the morning till the evening – in and out, in and out…”

Ghislaine, Prince Andrew and the Paedophile will be broadcast on ITV at 9pm on Tuesday January 18.

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