Is Prince Andrew Queen Elizabeth’s Favorite Son?
While Prince Edward is hardly ever discussed, Princess Anne doesn’t exactly seem to be favored amongst royal fans, and Prince Charles gets most of the shine due to his position in line for the throne — Prince Andrew was known as more of the golden prince in the royal family.
We watched the Prince of York deal with the fallout and scandals from his marriage to Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, with ease. Though he seems to basque in his position as a member of the British Royal Family — the prince didn’t have many personal scandals until now.
On Nov. 20 — following the fallout over his friendship with late pedophile and sex offender Jeffery Epstein — Prince Andrew announced he would be stepping away from his royal duties for the foreseeable future. This push for him to step back seemed to come from outraged royal fans and Prince Charles. Aside from allowing her son to step away, Queen Elizabeth II has been silent throughout this whole ordeal.
Is this because the queen favors the Prince of York over the rest of her children?
Prince Andrew and Queen Elizabeth II were seen horseback riding amid the Jeffery Epstein scandal
On Nov. 17 — Prince Andrew gave a shocking interview with BBC News Night, where he declared that he did not regret his friendship with Epstein even after the financier served time in prison for soliciting a minor. The news was horrifying to many and pushed the prince to step away from his duties. Just three days after the interview aired, the prince made a statement saying,
It has become clear to me over the last few days that the circumstances relating to my former association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to my family’s work and the valuable work going on in the many organisations and charities that I am proud to support. Therefore, I have asked Her Majesty if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission. I continue to unequivocally regret my ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein.
Just days after making his announcement the prince and the queen were spotted horseback riding the grounds of Windsor Castle –proving the queen is still very supportive of her son.
Queen Elizabeth has shown Prince Andrew favoritism since he was a child
The queen has always had a soft spot in her heart for her third-born child. “When Prince Charles and Princess Anne were born, the Queen wasn’t able to spend the time with them that she would have wished to,” royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told CNN. “However, in 1960, when Andrew was born, the Queen had been on the throne for eight years and didn’t have to leave the toddler to tour the Commonwealth for months. She was able to give him more attention and Andrew was someone with whom she’s had a particular affinity.”
Prince Charles could strip Prince Andrew of his titles
It’s well known that Prince Charles will ascend to the throne in the near future, therefore Prince Andrew might not be able to hide under the shield of his mother much longer. Since Prince Charles and Prince Andrew have always had a very strained relationship, and with the future Crowned King’s disdain for Sarah Ferguson, we can certainly see the Prince of Wales booting his younger brother out of the royal family completely.
“It’s no secret that Charles wants to streamline the monarchy when he eventually succeeds the Queen, and they have had plenty of disagreements in the past over Andrew’s role and that of his daughters,” an anonymous royal source told The Daily Telegraph. “The Newsnight interview won’t have done anything to help Andrew’s argument that he and his family should have a more high-profile role.”
Things aren’t looking great for the York family.
