When the Queen was 'Pained' to Lose 'Favorite Son' Prince Andrew From Her Side in Public

On February 19, 1960, Prince Andrew Albert Christian Edward, Queen Elizabeth II's second son, was born. Prince Andrew reportedly captured the Queen's heart from the beginning and was her favorite until the end. As per The US Sun, Her Majesty praised him right after his birth in a letter to a cousin, saying, “The baby is adorable. Both the older children are completely riveted by him and all in all he’s going to be terribly spoilt by all of us, I’m sure.” However, decades later, after the US financier Jeffrey Epstein was found guilty of child sex abuse, the Queen was 'heartbroken' to lose 'her favorite son' from her side in public because of his connection to Epstein. 

However, Prince Andrew continued to remain her favorite in private. A palace aide recalled: “Whenever she heard Andrew was by himself at Buckingham Palace, she sent him a handwritten note and he’d change into a suit to go up and see her. He’d greet her with a bow, kissing her hand and both her cheeks. It’s a little ritual that she adores.”

The Queen was determined to spend more time with the Duke of York than she had with Charles and Anne after his birth, and courtiers back then observed that she appeared to be a much more laid-back and loving mother this time around. Prince Andrew, the toddler, would soon be seen playing at her feet while she welcomed dignitaries into her study. She also authorized June Waller, the new nanny, to accompany the child on secret outings. Waller recalled to a friend in March 1963, “One day I took Andrew on a bus!! to Paddington Station to see the trains. He was thrilled to bits and couldn’t see everything fast enough.” 

But as the Duke grew older, the Queen noticed that he displayed an arrogant streak: “He is not always a little ray of sunshine.” When Andrew enlisted in the Royal Navy in 1979 to follow in his father's footsteps and train as a helicopter pilot, the Queen was overjoyed. Before long, he was leaving on board the aircraft carrier HMS Invincible, which turned into a prime target for bombs dropped by Argentina. Later, Prince Andrew said that being instructed to 'hit the deck because the ship is under attack' and using his helicopter as a ruse to divert Exocet missiles from the ship had traumatized him. That year, the Queen went with pride to Portsmouth Harbor to greet her son as a war hero.

However, the late Queen was pained to relieve Prince Andrew from all his royal engagements following his involvement in the Epstein sex scandal. “With The Queen’s approval and agreement, The Duke of York’s military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to The Queen,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement. “The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen.”

As per CNBC, the declaration was made just a few hours after the Queen was urged in a letter signed by over 150 veterans of the Royal Navy, Air Force, and Army to deprive her second son of all of his military grades and honors. According to the letter, Prince Andrew had 'fallen well short' of the strictest requirements for 'probity, honesty, and honorable conduct' set by the military. The letter claimed, "It is difficult not to see that he has brought the services he is associated with into disrepute when senior officers are reportedly describing him as 'toxic.'"