Prince Andrew isn't the Queen's favorite child, according to a royal biographer

A royal biographer has spoken out about which of the Queen's children is her favorite

Queen
(Image credit: Getty)

It's previously been said that Prince Andrew is the Queen's favorite child, despite Prince Charles being heir to the throne.


While it's not uncommon to have a favorite child, many were surprised to learn that Her Majesty's was said to be Prince Andrew. 

Previously in the Channel 5 documentary, The Royal Family At War, it was suggested that the Queen has always favored Prince Andrew, despite the Queen having three other children.

The Queen and Prince Philp had four children together; Prince Charles, 73, Princess Anne, 71, Prince Andrew, 62, and Prince Edward, 58.

But now a royal biographer has suggested that it's, in fact, Prince Edward is the Queen's favorite child - along with a scathing write-up. 

Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex (who celebrates his 58th birthday today) visits the Sir Ken Dodd Happiness Hall, which has been transformed into a new space for the community, to mark its official opening on March 10, 2022 in Liverpool, England.

(Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

In his lengthy biography of the Queen, royal biographer Matthew Dennison wrote, "Prince Edward, seemingly a bit wet and a tad irritating to the rest of us, was always his parents’ favorite."

"That became apparent in 1987 when Edward, aged 22, opted out of the Royal Marines when he was just a third of the way through his 12-month basic training course."

"To the surprise of some, Prince Philip (Captain-General of the Royal Marines) did not come down on his son like a ton of bricks. He accepted that the Marines ‘wasn’t right for Edward’ – and to this day Edward is grateful for that.”

Meanwhile, Prince Andrew was said to be the favorite due to his relationship with the Queen facing less pressure. 

In the documentary, The Royal Family At War, experts suggested that the Queen felt under pressure to raise Prince Charles to be the future King, while with Andrew their relationship could be more relaxed. 

Royal expert, Katie Nicholl, explained, "There is real tension between Charles and Andrew. Andrew has a very different relationship with his mother and the Queen was much more hands on."

Lauren Hughes

Lauren is the former Deputy Digital Editor at woman&home and became a journalist mainly because she enjoys being nosy. With a background in features journalism, Lauren worked on the woman&home brand for four years before going freelance. Before woman&home Lauren worked across a variety of women's lifestyle titles, including GoodTo, Woman's Own, and Woman magazine.