Why is Andrew allegedly the Queen's "favourite son"?

[Stiffcondomhat]

I have read this a few times over the years and yesterday mentioned in most media outlets.
The Queen seems like a sensible sort with good judgement, and he has this reputation as a sleazy lazy twonk.
Of course I know from mn about the golden child syndrome who is actually pretty useless, but surely the Queen is above such things?
If anyone has any ideas on this I'd love to know because I'm stumped! (I'm also procrastinating because I'm on a deadline)

What was she doing after Charles was born? Why couldn’t she be present for him?

By all accounts (a biography of Charles on my Grandma's shelf) he was more or less raised by his nanny. She went on a foreign tour for six months when he was a toddler and when she came back he shook her hand. Actually that last bit may be from the Crown. The King died when he was four (while she was away on tour, without Charles), and so she must have been pretty busy. He then hated his boarding school which he didn't want to go to. By the time Andrew came along I guess The Queen was able to spend more time with him. I am sure that was still not loads by normal standards.

@SnowBrussels

If that was true, it would make him half-brother-in-law to Clodagh McKenna from This Morning

Is Clodagh McKenna related to James Hewitt?

@Gargellen

The fake sheik thing was Sarah Ferguson not Sophie Wessex or have they both been at it?

They were done in slightly different ways.

Sarah outright offered a price to sell access to Andrew.

Sophie’s business partner was the one that basically offered paid for access to her and hinted to Edward as well.

Sophie didn’t actually do that, but did say that she knew some people hired her because of her title/position. The massive faux pas she actually committed was slagging off the PM of the time, Tony Blair, and giving a clear political opinion, and suggested that the royal family didn’t like him. She also called Cherie Blair something like horrid or vile or something. Then she talked about the Queen and Queen mum.
I always had the feeling that at Buckingham palace that kind of indiscreet chat was probably a worse crime than Fergie’s 500k to open doors.

The Harry/Hewitt thing is just ridiculous at this point. It's been proven that Hewitt only met Diana after Harry's birth and the timeline of Diana's pregnancy etc strongly suggests Harry was conceived when Diana and Charles were on a royal tour in Australia so we're not even on the same continent as Hewitt! Harry's hair etc comes from the Spencer side. Strong resemblance between Harry and one of Diana's sisters, Lady Sarah.

I read a theory online before that the relationship with Charles was more strained because he represented her mortality - a child born who's sole purpose in life was to replace her on her death. Andrew didn't have that.

@EmmaPaella

What was she doing after Charles was born? Why couldn’t she be present for him?

By all accounts (a biography of Charles on my Grandma's shelf) he was more or less raised by his nanny. She went on a foreign tour for six months when he was a toddler and when she came back he shook her hand. Actually that last bit may be from the Crown. The King died when he was four (while she was away on tour, without Charles), and so she must have been pretty busy. He then hated his boarding school which he didn't want to go to. By the time Andrew came along I guess The Queen was able to spend more time with him. I am sure that was still not loads by normal standards.

There is real news footage of the Queen returning from a long foreign tour and getting off the train at Paddington Station. She says hello to various people, then walks up to her young son and shakes his hand. It looks very formal and stilted. So no it is not just in the Crown.

I've just Googled Sophie Wessex and the fake sheik thing. Shocking!

The Queen has had a lot to deal with over the years.

@RestingStitchFace

The Harry/Hewitt thing is just ridiculous at this point. It's been proven that Hewitt only met Diana after Harry's birth and the timeline of Diana's pregnancy etc strongly suggests Harry was conceived when Diana and Charles were on a royal tour in Australia so we're not even on the same continent as Hewitt! Harry's hair etc comes from the Spencer side. Strong resemblance between Harry and one of Diana's sisters, Lady Sarah.

Harry and Sarah McCorqufale’s son are very alike imo

@Sarahlou63

Hmmm. Looking at photos of Lord Porchester and Andrew there does seem to be a resemblance. There again, Harry is the spit of James Hewitt.

I think he’s much more like Philip

Harry that is. Not Andrew

I think it's because 'porchy' is his father and not the DOEdinburgh. There is a large age gap between Anne and Andrew when DOE was having all of his flings/affairs.
She quickly had Edward after to try and blend Andrew in but look at Charles, Anne and Edward and then look at Andrew. He is not the DOE son.

This isn't the footage where you can see the Queen shakes his hand. But they greet each other like strangers.

Article about the handshake. It looks as if the footage has been removed.

This footage is lovely as you see Charles as a young boy on the palace balcony behaving like a real child.

www.express.co.uk/news/royal/1046123/royal-snub-queen-elizabeth-prince-charles-humiliated-handshake-spt

More footage of Charles and Anne as tiny children with the Queen and Phillip.

I have no idea why the Queen was not a loving engaged mother to Charles and Anne. Her own parents were supposed to be very loving. But she seems to have changed and softened when Andrew and Edward came along.

@Sarahlou63

Hmmm. Looking at photos of Lord Porchester and Andrew there does seem to be a resemblance. There again, Harry is the spit of James Hewitt.

They both have ginger hair 🙄

Have you never seen a picture of a bearded young Prince Philip?

@PinkPiranha11

Just have a look at pictures of Lord Porchester as a younger man & compare with a picture of Andrew in the 80s/90s. It’s fairly obvious. All the other 3 royal children are fairly lean/wiry types (like Phillip) and Andrew is burly. Again, look at all the Porchesters. Totally different personality to the other 3 too.

Other than hair colour, I don't think Andrew resembles Porchester. However, I agree that he is the 'odd one out' lookswise among the 4 royal children. His siblings are all slim and have the same slightly 'pinched' features, whereas he has a round face and quite overweight.

If there's any woman who would never cheat on her husband, not simply out of love for him but because of the calamitous reputational damage a hint of an affair would cause, that woman would be the queen. That said, nobody really has a clue what goes on behind palace doors. Still highly doubt it however. He is Philip's son.

I am not arguing Andrew's father is Porchester. But they do look alike. I don't believe anyone denying the likeness, because it is pretty obvious.

Based on personality, there's room to doubt Prince Philip is Charles' father.

This is 'Porchie' when he was about the same age as Andrew is now.

I don't really see a resemblance. Porchie was less jowly for one thing.

It's apparently because she was very busy when Charles and Anne were small children and is emotionally distanced from them. They were brought up by an army of nannies whilst she was off on a world tour for 6 months. By the time Andrew came along she had been queen for a while and had more time to spend with him and Edward.

@PinkPiranha11

Just have a look at pictures of Lord Porchester as a younger man & compare with a picture of Andrew in the 80s/90s. It’s fairly obvious. All the other 3 royal children are fairly lean/wiry types (like Phillip) and Andrew is burly. Again, look at all the Porchesters. Totally different personality to the other 3 too.

None of my kids look like DH and yet are still very different to each other. I'm glad some of you aren't my neighbours. You'd be aiming All sorts.

One child not liking one their Dad isn't proof he's not their Dad

When Harry was small I thought he might have been the child of JH but as his face has grown older I look at the set of his eyes and eyebrows and bridge of nose and then at the same parts of the faces of George VI and the Queen and PC and I definitely think Harry is theirs.

@IcedPurple Both Andrew and Porchester have round faces and the same type of nose.
Andrew is more jowly because he is fatter.

@AllThePogs

I have no idea why the Queen was not a loving engaged mother to Charles and Anne. Her own parents were supposed to be very loving. But she seems to have changed and softened when Andrew and Edward came along.

The difference of being the heir to the throne?

Initially when Elizabeth & Margaret were young was there any thought that Elizabeth would be Queen?

I suppose Charles in some ways represents her own mortality.

Must be odd knowing that your mum has to die for you to "fulfil your destiny"

@HeadNorth

Well if we are speculating.. queenie strikes me a pretty cold mum, she seems to actively dislike Charles and wants to keep of the throne as long as possible, out of spite. So maybe Andrew is her 'favourite' is as much as she can bear him more than Charles (I think Philip also despised Charles and thought he was a wimp because he couldn't hack Gordonstoun).

She's not dying out of spite???

queenie strikes me a pretty cold mum, she seems to actively dislike Charles and wants to keep of the throne as long as possible, out of spite

She can't exactly make herself die.
Unless you're advocating suicide?

They are a long living family.