Why was Prince Andrew always regarded as the Queen's favourite child?

[SpaEnjoyer]

I remember that Andrew was often referred to as the Queen's favourite child when she was alive, and before he was managed out of public life for being such an embarrassment to the family. He wasn't her firstborn DC or even her first son. So why did she prefer him to all the others?

I read somewhere that he came along after a big gap and she was more able to spend time with him and focus on him so enjoyed motherhood, which she couldn't do as much when the eldest 2 were little. No idea if that's true though.

He was the youngest wasn’t he? Presumably the baby of all her children

Edward is the youngest.

Rumour has it that he’s not Prince Philip’s son, his father is Lord Porchester. That’s why he doesn’t look like the others.

Was he really though or is it just what the media likes to say?

I’ve lost count of the contradictions about her favourite grandson and whether it was Peter or Harry. Personally I would have chosen James.

Who knows if any of the commonly held beliefs about the royal family are true.They present to the world what they want us to see. And they leak against each other what they want us to know. I know this because various credible journalists that they have leaked to have said so.

Was he really though or is it just what the media likes to say?

This.

I do think her being a new Queen and even before taking pressure of her father did get in the way with the older two kids.

She supposed to have enjoyed the younger two more - though again that's via the press - but she was secure in the role of Queen by then.

It was just a rumour. There's no evidence whatsoever that it was true.

Well.. I have never heard this before! Porchies? Off to Google...

I heard, during a discussion about Andrew Lownie's book, that QEII saw him as the most vulnerable of her children and the least able to look after himself, hence him being the favourite.

I think that’s a very likely explanation Ida. He’s characterised as a badly behaved child but if ND then boundaries would be an issue and he would have needed different parenting. I’m loathe to criticise the Queen’s parenting as I’ve made too many of my own mistakes (also ND DS).

The media love to label royal children as the favourite, it’s very divisive.

My gran, who had been completely deaf from early childhood but was an expert lip reader, said she thought he was deaf, or impaired in the area of communication. Perhaps this is the vulnerability mentioned before?

I very much doubt the Queen would say she had a favourite child?
I mean really who is actually going to come out and say that?

Yes she was probably a more relaxed Mum with Andrew & Edward than she was with Charles & Anne but that's just experience being older and no longer PFB.

Time together probably played a part too HMQ spent a lot of time touring the commonwealth while Charles & Ann were tiny kids too
And that generation were all packed off to boarding schools at about 7 or 8 years old.

My impression was that it was because of the contrast between him and Charles. Charles having been a sensitive child who didn't thrive in the rough outdoorsy sporty environment of Gordonstoun, and Andrew fitted in more with that culture of traditional masculinity.

Also apparently the Queen was raging when Edward left the Marines after a few months, and she wasnt all that impressed when he went into the theatre/TV in the 80s and 90s (plus there was a Royal Knockout).

That said Edward was the only one not to divorce, and the Queen became quite close to him and Sophie in her latter years.

Andrew Lownie implies in his book that Andrew is of low intelligence. So perhaps the Queen felt sorry for him.

E2 is said to have admitted Charmless wasn't always a little ray of sunshine as a child.

No idea why his adult shenanigans were deemed worthy of an unremitting two fingers to the public show of support but the rest of them are shaping up nicely to follow in her footsteps.

I've always regarded this as a ridiculous notion. As if the Queen (or any mother) were ever likely to have articulated such a thing! Same as with Harry being referred to as her favourite grandson. What a kick in the teeth to the others.
Highly unlikely to be true, in either case.

Nonsense. He looks like the Bowes Lyons as does Eugenie. The Queen herself was a mix of her mother and paternal grandmother. Anne looks like her mother, as does Isla and Zara and Louise. While also looking like Dad. Edward's a Windsor but also looking like German relatives... and Charles I guess is like his Mum.

He looks like Queen Victoria IMO

I think that’s a very likely explanation Ida. He’s characterised as a badly behaved child but if ND then boundaries would be an issue and he would have needed different parenting.

That's interesting.

I saw some pics of him at the Duchess of Kent's funeral & he's there grinning & trying to engage others.

Why doesn't he just stay at the back & leave everyone alone?

Utterly clueless imo.

I always thought it was entitlement & inflated sense of importance though.

'The favourite son' was Andrew's codename amongst the royals' security staff.

I read that Elizabeth II had more time to spend with Andrew and Edward when they were children than she did with her two elder children, so that might have something to do with it.

@diddl "quote"
I saw some pics of him at the Duchess of Kent's funeral & he's there grinning & trying to engage others.

I watched that part too, trying to engage William in conversation, smiling away.
William kind of half-smiled and then looked away. He looked quite uncomfortable.

Andrew just seems to have no sense of occasion or social boundaries

Andrew just seems to have no sense of occasion or social boundaries

Indeed.

I would have thought that that was one of the first things they were taught as kids-how to behave when "on show".

Perhaps that only applies to the heir?

It was nice to see his image up on the castle walls. The family avoid addressing this. They won’t address it at all, but people aren’t going let it go away and I’m relieved. If you’ve ever been sexually abused yourself as a child or have a loved one who was sexually abused as a child, or sexually abused at any age for that matter, you want to know the answers, the truth of the matter. You want some honesty.

I think it was the nail in the coffin for me with the royal family as an institution. The monarch is supposed to be the head of state and integral to the system of checks and balances. They have to be known to do the right thing. The honesty should be unquestionable.

Andrew was allowed to avoid being questioned by the FBI when they did want to speak to him.

I find the late Queen’s approach to this, and then Charles’ approach to this; to be completely inadequate: