Queen Elizabeth II was 'very keen' for Prince Andrew to take on a prominent role as a UK trade envoy in 2001, according to new revelations that highlight the late monarch's unwavering support for her second son. The role was intended to give him structure and purpose as he was bumped down the line of succession, but it ultimately backfired spectacularly.
Royal commentators have long suggested that the Queen was blinkered when it came to Andrew, rumoured to be her favourite son. She spent more time with him as an infant compared to her older children, as she had settled into her role as monarch by the time he was born. This closer maternal bond may have led her to see him as 'vulnerable' and in need of protection.
Andrew's character was markedly different from his older brother Charles; he was described by royal biographer Robert Hardman as 'not as bright as the others, he could be boorish and everyone knew that'. Despite this, his mother continued to shield him, even after his disastrous Newsnight interview in 2019, when she was photographed riding with him at Windsor Castle in a show of tacit support.
The Queen contributed to the substantial settlement Andrew reached with Virginia Giuffre in 2022 and continued to include him in family events. It fell to King Charles III to strip his brother of his peerage, prince's title, and HRH style after the scandal became untenable.
