The 1 Reason Prince Andrew Probably Isn’t Queen Elizabeth’s Favorite Child Anymore
Queen Elizabeth isn’t one to play favorites. The long-reigning monarch would never publicly admit which of her children is her most beloved, even if she does have one in mind. But royal fans do have a good guess.
The popular drama series The Crown delves into royal family issues including how the queen handled motherhood. The show made it quite obvious that Queen Elizabeth had a special affection for her third child, Prince Andrew. But even if that’s true, it’s probably changed over the decades.
Queen Elizabeth had children at different stages of life
The queen and Prince Philip’s eldest children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, were young children when their mother entered a tumultuous time of life. Her father unexpectedly died, leaving Elizabeth the queen when she was just 27. She rose to the challenge, but there’s no denying her family life suffered.
Charles and Anne were left to be raised by royal nannies as their mother set off proving her worth as reigning monarch. In future years, Prince Charles expressed his disdain for being mostly ignored as a young boy. Anne never seemed to mind much.
“I simply don’t believe there is any evidence whatsoever to suggest that she wasn’t caring. It’s just beggar’s belief,” Anne famously said in 2002.
The queen had more time for Prince Andrew and Prince Edward
Prince Andrew was born 12 years after Charles but it might as well have been a lifetime later. By the time he and his younger brother, Edward, joined the royal family, Elizabeth was more settled in her role as queen and had more time to devote to raising kids.
And The Crown made it clear that the queen favored Andrew when the four kids were growing up. This was well-known in royal circles. Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams agreed that Andrew was a favorite. “She was able to give him more attention and Andrew was someone with whom she’s had a particular affinity,” he told CNN.
Queen Elizabeth hates drama and scandal more than anything
Parents can’t necessarily help which child they feel closest with. However, if one thing was going to ruin Elizabeth’s relationship with her son Andrew, it was the negative attention he brought to the royal family. Her Majesty hates drama and scandals as a rule. And unfortunately, the Duke of York is one of the worst offenders of all.
First there were the sex scandals and very public divorce between Andrew and his wife, Sarah, Duchess of York. The so-called “toe-sucking incident” was a major scandal in the royal family.
Prince Andrew keeps making headlines for the wrong reasons
It only got worse after that. Prince Andrew’s involvement with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein once again dragged the royal family into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Then, Andrew agreed to do an interview to clear his name but only succeeded in making everything worse. The drama was enough to make him step down as a senior royal.
No one will ever know which of Queen Elizabeth’s children is her favorite. But based on the information available, Andrew’s frequent misdeeds may have dethroned him from the favored child position.
