Prince Andrew was not Queen’s favourite child, claims royal author

2022-08-14

It has long been thought that out of her four children, the Queen shares an especially close bond with her "favourite" child, Prince Andrew, however a royal author has claimed that that isn't actually the case.

The Queen is mother to Prince Charles, 73, Princess Anne, 71, Prince Andrew, 62 and Edward, 58, and according to royal author, Matthew Dennison, it's actually her youngest son who is highest in her favour, and was also the favourite of her late husband, Prince Phillip.

Writing in his new book which is a biography of Her Majesty, Matthew penned: “Prince Edward, seemingly a bit wet and a tad irritating to the rest of us, was always his parents’ favourite.

“That became apparent in 1987 when Edward, aged 22, opted out of the Royal Marines when he was just a third of the way through his 12-month basic training course.

“To the surprise of some, Prince Philip did not come down on his son like a ton of bricks.

“He accepted that the Marines ‘wasn’t right for Edward’ – and to this day Edward is grateful for that.”

Last year, the Duke of York found himself embroiled in an alleged sex scandal involving Virginia Giuffre, which he ended up settling out of court for £12million, causing the Queen to strip him of his well-respected royal titles.

Despite this, the Queen and Prince Andrew are known to share a close relationship, and she made a point of this when he escorted her in Westminster Abbey during Prince Phillip's memorial service in April.

Speculation was mounting as to whether the disgraced Duke would be present at his mother's Platinum Jubilee Celebrations in June.

He was expected to make an appearance at the annual Order of the Garter ceremony, alongside senior members of the Royal Family, including heirs to the throne, Prince Charles and Prince William.

However, Prince Andrew pulled out of the appearance at the last minute – reportedly after Prince Charles and Prince William "lobbied the Queen about his presence" at the ceremony, fearing a negative reaction and boos from crowds.

Buckingham Palace confirmed that Andrew's withdrawal from the ceremony was a "family decision", and in a statement, a spokesperson said: "The Duke of York will attend the investiture and lunch today but will not be part of the procession or service."

The Queen, together with heirs Prince Charles and William has been debuting a more slimmed-down version of the monarchy, and when she made an appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony during the jubilee celebrations, only Prince Charles, Camilla, Prince William, Kate Middleton and their children stood alongside her.

Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex, have been taking a more active role in the royal family – representing the Queen on a number of engagements.

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