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)

@Anotherhill

How old are you OP? Because when I was much younger Andrew was the good looking helicopter pilot fought for his country and seemed less stuffy and more fun than Charles. Obviously never met any of them but that was my teenage impression in the early 80s.

Yes he was good looking when he was younger. I think a lot of the public liked him too. I have heard he was the Queen's favourite but not sure there's actually any evidence to back that up. If he was I'm pretty sure he isn't anymore.

It maybe that if this is the case its because he reminds her of Phillip

@JinglingHellsBells

'what complete nonsense.

You really believe that?

You only have to know a tiny bit about the Queen to know that Philip was the only man for her.

And as Philip used to say, when could he have had time for an affair? He had PP with him all the time.

Maybe take up writing fantasy novels @starlight13. it's your genre.'

🙄

Philip was a very macho type who was famously butt hurt over the fact that 'I'm the only man in the country whose children won't bear his name'. Hence the invention of the Mountbatten-Windsor surname. I always thought that was hilarious considering Philip's father wasn't a Mountbatten. In fact it wasn't even his mother's real name, just the anglicised version of her family name,

@ancientgran there is an enormous difference between being hidden away and having the worlds media looking at every aspect of your hearing. My comment is not vile, just realistic. I remember the horrible media frenzy around Sarah Ferguson and her weight. So many awful headlines and every photo with an obsessive level of criticism of her appearance. I would not want any 18-year-old woman subjected to that.

@starlight13 Phillip had plenty of time for affairs. He went on foreign tours without the Queen.

[quote AllThePogs]@ancientgran there is an enormous difference between being hidden away and having the worlds media looking at every aspect of your hearing. My comment is not vile, just realistic. I remember the horrible media frenzy around Sarah Ferguson and her weight. So many awful headlines and every photo with an obsessive level of criticism of her appearance. I would not want any 18-year-old woman subjected to that.[/quote]
Well hopefully we have moved on. I think Princess Eugenie has done much for children with back issues, her wearing a wedding dress with a low back showing the scars of her operation is an excellent example.

@ancientgran

Philip was a very macho type who was famously butt hurt over the fact that 'I'm the only man in the country whose children won't bear his name'. Hence the invention of the Mountbatten-Windsor surname. I always thought that was hilarious considering Philip's father wasn't a Mountbatten. In fact it wasn't even his mother's real name, just the anglicised version of her family name,

Exactly. His dad's name was Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, which isn't quite so snappy or 'English' as Mountbatten-Windsor. Not very Greek either, it has to be said!

I remember Fergie and A being known as Duke and Duchess of Pork by the media, most people thought it was a reference to her weight gain but perhaps a play on words regarding Porchie? Definitely a resemblance in looks, although that of course could be a coincidence.

Porchie died on the same day as the September 11 attacks in NY. The queen's sympathy message to the American people included the line 'Grief is the price we pay for love.'

I hope we have moved on, but I don't think we have. I also think scars on your back is not the same at all.
Most Royal woman have a very hard time in the press until it settles down after a few years when someone new has come along. Beatrice and Eugenie had a lot of criticism about the clothes they wore and their looks. Kate was called waitykatey and rubbished in the press. Meghan is still getting a hard time.
I don't see anything has changed. If Louise was a man it would be fine, the Royal men get way fewer media criticism. The woman always gets a hard time for at least a few years. And her squint would be picked up on more. It had already started happening simply from the few articles there had already been about her.
Not my decision obviously. But no way would I set my 18-year-old daughter up for that media frenzy.

Pic from a very old magazine. Harry certainly looks a lot like PP.

Not read all the thread, but my theory is that:

1. The Queen's father, whom she adored, was the second son, and a much overlooked one until his brother (the loved and indulged one) abdicated; so she's possibly projecting her father's experience onto her own children;

1. It's a bit of an all or nothing game: you are either the future King and get everything, or you are the spare who gets, effectively, nothing. So perhaps she was making up to Andrew, with love/attention/indulgence, what he would not get as the spare.

@AllThePogs

I hope we have moved on, but I don't think we have. I also think scars on your back is not the same at all. Most Royal woman have a very hard time in the press until it settles down after a few years when someone new has come along. Beatrice and Eugenie had a lot of criticism about the clothes they wore and their looks. Kate was called waitykatey and rubbished in the press. Meghan is still getting a hard time. I don't see anything has changed. If Louise was a man it would be fine, the Royal men get way fewer media criticism. The woman always gets a hard time for at least a few years. And her squint would be picked up on more. It had already started happening simply from the few articles there had already been about her. Not my decision obviously. But no way would I set my 18-year-old daughter up for that media frenzy.

Are you a woman? Most on here are and it is you who seems to have a problem with her eyes.

Yes Eugenie got criticism about her clothes, I don't think anyone was ignorant enough to give her a hard time about her back.

@TheAverageUser

The Queen is just a mum when it comes to her children, she's not different. Just one of us

And most of us don't have a favourite child!

@ancientgran Yes I am a woman. What a strange question.
I have zero issue with Louise's eyes, why would I? You seem to be in denial about the media treat Royal women for at least the first few years/

[quote AllThePogs]@ancientgran Yes I am a woman. What a strange question.
I have zero issue with Louise's eyes, why would I? You seem to be in denial about the media treat Royal women for at least the first few years/[/quote]
It is relevant because it is women who seem to like criticising other women. Louise seems a very nice young woman. Maybe leave her eyes alone.

@ancientgran you are being deliberately obtuse. My comments are all about the media.

Well if he was, he's probably isn't now... however the decision of stripping him of his titles etc wasn't just made by the queen. But he's always been know as her favourite son, I believe this is due to him allegedly having a different father.

Whatever you think of W&K their children have a better chance of being emotionally healthy and self-aware than previous generations.

Parents still together, communicating, very loving to them and not abandoning them to go on world tours, but aware of pitfalls of being the spare, same nanny since the start.

I'd say William is a bit repressed though. And Harry is the one who is sick of being labelled emotional and they trigger each other. William is triggered by Harry feeeeeeling everything so deeply and Harry is triggered by William's robotic get on with it modus operandi

but how the hell would I know anything.

@Gargellen

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

Both

@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).

That's really horrible and we'll never know. She's not keeping him off the the throne. She doesn't believe in abdication. She pledged to be Queen for as long as she lived.

No idea and I don't care.

For those saying he's the favourite because he's LPs, is your logic that she loved LP more than PP so loved his child more, or that she's trying to make it up to him for not being PPs?

Well the queen obviously loves Sophie Wessex, and I imagine she knows her better than us.

She seems like a really decent sort to me.

I am old enough to remember these headlines and sophie wessex was very embarrassed. I think she learned a hard lesson but you know LEARNT it.