'I've met Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor several times - he showed me his true colours'

Disgraced royal Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been described as a "horrible and ghastly" man by television presenter Lorraine Kelly. Discussing the famous people she has met throughout her career, the 66-year-old didn’t hold back when it came to the controversial royal. She said: "I always give people the benefit of the doubt, you know, if they're difficult or demanding or they're rude, and I think, hmm, okay, you might be an a***hole, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt now. "If they do it again the next time, then you're an a***hole and I never want to see you again and go away. "But, I always think you've got to put yourself in other people's shoes, but I do get annoyed with people who are very arrogant," she added. "A prime example of that obviously is Prince Andrew, who I had the misfortune to meet a few times, what a ghastly man, a horrible man. And I've always said that, even before all of this stuff (his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein ). "But then you wonder what was going on in his life and who was his role model? "It's fascinating isn't it, to think about that," she added on Pete Wicks ' Man Made podcast. The former prince, who was stripped of his royal titles by brother King Charles last year, has faced scrutiny in recent years over his links to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In his 2019 Newsnight interview, he expressed regret over maintaining contact after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for sex offences, but the interview with Emily Maitlis was considered an unmitigated disaster. He stepped back from royal duties after Newsnight aired and, three years later, was stripped of his military titles and royal patronages. The father-of-two, who was also recently named in documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice relating to Epstein, has always denied any wrongdoing. He was arrested and later released under investigation on suspicion of misconduct in public office. It is not the first time Lorraine has criticised the brother of King Charles . Previously discussing his infamous interview with Emily Maitlis in 2019, she said on her show: "That, to me, just summed him up in a way as being either, you could be generous and say naïve or you could say dumb, you could say many things. "For him to put himself in that position, first of all, and then to do such damage to his reputation that he basically is now persona non grata, that just doesn't happen usually, does it?" In a later discussion about his apparent return to royal life, she said: "Surely he's not that tone deaf?”, before urging him to "just shut it and go away". The former prince recently relocated to Marsh Farm following his departure from the 30-room Royal Lodge in Windsor. According to Elliot Castle, CEO of We Buy Any Home , the cost of updating the property could have reached a six-figure sum . He said: "From a property perspective, this looks far more like a managed family arrangement than a typical move. "Marsh Farm appears to have been prepared specifically for Andrew, with privacy and security front of mind, so it's unlikely to be a short-term stop. "Renovating a rural property to that standard is not cheap," he added. "Once you factor in interiors, structural updates and high-end security, costs can quickly run into the six-figure range, particularly on an estate setting."