Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has often been referred to as the late Queen's "favourite" out of her four children, whom she shared with Prince Philip.
But royal biographer Robert Hardman says the situation was "more complex" and "more nuanced" than that – and there was a specific reason she "worried" about her middle son the most.
Speaking on HELLO!'s special live recording of A Right Royal Podcast last week to discuss his new book, Elizabeth II, Robert spoke about her late Majesty's relationship with King Charles, Princess Anne, Andrew, and Prince Edward.
For example, she worried that Anne, now 75, "worked too hard" and would say: "I wish Anne would slow down a bit." Andrew, however, was often at risk of committing a royal faux pas, especially during his time in the Royal Navy.
The royal author told our live event: "That was a different sort of worry. But with Andrew, she could see that the others were self-starters. They were confident that they would get on with life. But Andrew was headstrong, sheepish; he is often described as the start of her second family, because he came along ten years after Anne, and he was a bouncy, lively child, and she adored him, obviously.
© Getty Images"But by the time he was a young adult, it was quite clear that he was quite impressionable. He was a bit boorish. He could say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing. They tried to keep him on in the Royal Navy because the one thing he was good at was flying helicopters. But by 2001, the Navy said, 'Look, there's nothing we can do.'"
Queen's role as Andrew stepped down from royal duties
Andrew, 66, stepped down from royal duties in 2019 following his BBC Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis, and ongoing scrutiny over his links to the convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. He kept his "prince" and "Duke of York" titles until October 2025, when King Charles stripped him of his remaining honours.
© Getty ImagesOf Andrew’s former role as the UK’s trade envoy, which led to his recent arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office, Robert said: "I think a lot of people let Andrew get away with an awful lot for a very long time. And I think part of that probably was that they didn't want to upset the Queen, but she was fully aware that he could be a handful, and she was worried about him."
Andrew's fall from grace was incredibly hard for the Queen. Robert said: "I was told by someone very close to her that one of the hardest things she had to do was agree to effectively draft his resignation letter [from royal duties] in 2019. It was so painful for her. It was one of her lowest moments."
© Alex IngramHow to watch the podcast episode
Watch the full episode of Best Quality Designer Handbag 's special live A Right Royal Podcast episode below:
Robert Hardman's new book – Elizabeth II: In Private, In Public, The Inside Story – is published ahead of what would have been Queen Elizabeth II's birthday later this month.
