Queen Elizabeth II was reportedly “very keen” for Prince Andrew to become a UK trade envoy in 2001, a role she believed would keep her “favourite” second son out of trouble, according to royal commentators. However, the decision has since been described as a grave mistake, with no evidence of formal security vetting prior to his appointment.
The monarch’s support for Andrew was rooted in a mother’s instinct to protect, knowing he was “the spare” and aware of the pitfalls of that position, as seen with her sister Princess Margaret. She likely saw the trade envoy role as giving Andrew structure and purpose after his Royal Navy career, which included brief “national hero” status following the Falklands conflict.
Royal biographer Robert Hardman noted that Andrew was “not as bright as the others, he could be boorish and everyone knew that”. The late queen viewed him as “vulnerable” and continued to shield him, a pattern evident in public gestures such as riding alongside him after his disastrous Newsnight interview in 2019.
Despite being stripped of military affiliations and patronages, Andrew remained part of family events at Sandringham and Balmoral. The queen reportedly contributed to his 2022 settlement with Virginia Giuffre, and he escorted her at Prince Philip’s memorial service. It ultimately fell to King Charles to remove his brother’s peerage, prince title and HRH style.
