Thanks to the disastrous TV game show special It's a Royal Knockout, one royal earned the nickname of "Prince Brat," and it wasn't the former Prince Andrew. Prince Edward—who was working in television at the time—took most of the heat for the medieval-style tournament, which featured royals and celebrities taking part in challenges to raise money for charity. But Andrew, Princess Anne and Sarah Ferguson were also involved in the show—and apparently, the ex-Duke of York took particular issue with the late rock star Meat Loaf.
It's a Royal Knockout was a public relations disaster for the Royal Family, with the Queen Mother reportedly accusing of her grandchildren of trying to ruin the monarchy's reputation with the program. But along with infuriating the Queen Mother, the show also started a fight between Andrew and Meat Loaf and ended up sullying Ferguson's already questionable public popularity.
Author Andrew Lownie details the incident in his book Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York. The author wrote that during the event, "filmed in front of a plywood castle at Alton Towers theme park," Andrew "tried to push Meat Loaf into a moat after he felt the singer had taken too great an interest in Ferguson."
Prince Andrew, Sarah Ferguson and Prince Edward are pictured on the set of It's a Royal Knockout in 1987.
What happens next, you truly can't make up. As Lownie wrote, Meat Loaf—"dressed in a fake suit of armour"—then grabbed Andrew, "who reportedly moaned: 'You can't touch me. I'm royal.'"
Meat Loaf's response? "Well, you try to push me in the moat, Jack, I don't give a shit who you are, you're goin' in the moat."
The "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" singer later recounted the incident in a 2003 interview with the Guardian, confirming that he did, indeed, call Andrew "Jack." "Fergie wasn't exactly flirting with me, but she was paying attention to me, and I think Andrew got a little—I could be wrong, I'm just reading into this—I think he got a little jealous," Meat Loaf said.
Because of the moat incident, the singer admitted, "Oh, The Queen hates me."
Meat Loaf is pictured on the set of It's a Royal Knockout in 1987.
As for Fergie, It's a Royal Knockout did little to help her public perception. As Lownie wrote, she'd "urged Meat Loaf to 'steal Andrew's panda mascot and stuff it down his trousers," which probably didn't help the moat situation. The then-Duchess of York's perceived "lack of decorum" made the public "wonder if perhaps she was too much of a breath of fresh air."
Not to mention, the show aired only days after Royal Ascot, when Ferguson was photographed with Princess Diana "poking their mutual friend" on her butt with an umbrella.
Writing of Ferguson's reputation after It's a Royal Knockout, Lownie noted, "Her exuberance, her social gaffes...her unpretentiousness and good humour, which at first had endeared her to the public, had become a liability."
