It's no secret that Queen Elizabeth does play favorites when it comes to her kids. You might think the 95-year-old monarch shares the closest bond with her one-day successor, Prince Charles.
Not quite. Queen Elizabeth's favorite child with whom she shares the closest relationship is Prince Andrew. The gap between her first pair of children and her second pair had Elizabeth at a different stage in her life and her monarchy when Andrew was born. She was an established Queen when she welcomed her third and fourth children, allowing her more time to bond with them than she had with Charles and Princess Anne.
"When the second batch of children (Andrew and Edward) were born, she was relaxed and in her stride professionally and much more confident as a mother. That is where it all comes from," royal biographer Penny Junor told the Daily Beast.
"Even today the queen's relationship with Andrew is much more relaxed and easier than that with Charles. Charles puts her on a pedestal, Andrew has a more traditional filial relationship with her."
"For the first time, she had the luxury to actually enjoy motherhood," agreed author Christopher Andersen, per the Daily Beast.
"She sat on the nursery floor and played with Andrew. She told him bedtime stories and taught him nursery rhymes. She went along when he was picked up at school and turned up for sports days and other school events — things she never did for Charles, or for Anne either."
Andrew's dedication to the Navy instead of following in his brother's academic footsteps set him aside from the rest for a while. He had trouble transitioning back to civilian life after the fact, leading to a string of tabloid-grabbing incidents that had him labeled "Randy Andy." The Queen was known to hate such attention being cast on the family, but she seemingly tolerated her son's continuous bad behavior.
Queen Elizabeth was supportive when Andrew settled down with Sarah Ferguson. Although the marriage didn't last, the two continue to share an unusually close relationship, which the Queen has also seemed supportive of, as the two live together at Royal Lodge.
It's hard to believe a monarch so steeped in tradition, versed in public perception, and steadfast in her commitment to the throne would allow anything to endanger its future. Yet Andrew's continued involvement with scandal, including his recently being sued for alleged sexual abuse of a minor, has not knocked him from his mother's favor.
Penny Junor believes that may be because the Queen feels partially responsible for Andrew's continued bad decisions.
"She feels, like many working mothers, a bit guilty. I think there are moments where she feels that if he has gone off the rails or is arrogant or entitled, it is her fault," she shared.
"Margaret Thatcher felt guilty about her son Mark, who was arrogant and unpleasant, but she adored him. The queen in some way feels something similar."
After news that Virginia Giuffre was suing the Duke of York for alleged sexual assault, Andrew and Sarah fled to Balmoral, engulfed by the Queen's safety and strict orders that tabloid photographers back off.
"It is rather extraordinary that instead of facing the world he is hiding behind a sofa in Balmoral," said royal expert Nigel Cawthorne.
"In some ways it is laudable that the family has rallied around in his hour of need, but from the point of view of the victims of [Jeffrey] Epstein this must look like honor among thieves."
"Andrew is well aware that he has cast a spell over this mother. He's always shamelessly played Mummy like a fiddle, and she's always been willing to be played," asserted Christopher Andersen.
"When the queen sees Andrew, she sees the adorable infant she held in her arms and the spirited little boy who delighted her with his harmless hijinks. But the hijinks ceased being harmless a long time ago."
"The queen has always been in a fog when it comes to Andrew, and there is no sign that fog is about to lift," he continued.
"Sadly, while she's taken a fairly hands-on approach toward Megxit, the queen has given Andrew a pass when it comes to Epstein — a still-evolving scandal that has the potential to do irreparable harm to the monarchy."
Even before the Jeffery Epstein scandal, Andrew had a precarious relationship with older brother Charles. Charles has long been a fan of a slimmed-down version of the royal family that would see his younger brothers removed from the fold. That drama is said to go back to the younger brother's reaction to Charles' plummeting popularity after his divorce from Princess Diana.
"Andrew tried to push Charles out of the way during the Diana scandal," Nigel noted.
"As Charles' popularity plummeted, Andrew lobbied the palace to install him as a regent for William. That has created friction between them which persists to this day."
There's no telling how much time is left in the Queen's reign, but it seems pretty clear that big changes are coming when Charles is in charge. In the meantime, it will be interesting to see how far the Queen will go to protect Andrew as the arm of the law continues to extend.
