History of Prince Andrew: from the Queen’s spoiled child to the family’s black sheep

Since his birth in 1960, Andrés has always been the darling of the family. Richard Fitzwilliams, royalty expert, commented on the relationship between the queen and her son that “when Prince Charles and Princess Anne were born, the queen was not able to spend as much time as she would have liked with them,” while she was able to spend as much time with Andrew as she would have liked. From a young age, according to numerous testimonies from close people, he showed a lively, self-confident and often even reckless character, characteristics that over the years would become key elements of his public and private personality.

Mom’s ‘right eye’

For much of his life, Andrés enjoyed the protection and unconditional affection of his mother. Ingrid Sewardroyal biographer, noted in her book “My Husband and I” that “Andrés was naughty, but the queen was always very lenient with him,” and other experts such as the journalist Robert Lacey, consider that the monarch “showed a preference for Andrés “partly because her relationship with Carlos was more complicated.”

And the education of the firstborn was more formal and rigid, as expected being the heir, while Andrés, being one of his two youngest children, always had a special place in his heart that translated into constant support throughout of his life, even in moments of controversy. However, their situation changed drastically after the death of the queen and the ascension to the throne of her older brother, King Charles III, with whom the relationship has not been the best and who also saw in Andrés a threat to the royal family.

The most devastating moment in the Duke of York’s public life came with his involvement In the case of Jeffrey Epstein, the American financier accused of sex trafficking of minors. The accusations of Virginia Giuffre, one of the victims, against the prince, stating that she was forced to have relations with him when she was a minor, was crucial to a scandal that touched both sides of the Atlantic, and although Andrés always denied the facts, He ended up reaching a million-dollar financial agreement to avoid a trial that could have further destroyed the image of the monarchy. Special mention deserves the disastrous interview that the Duke gave to the BBC in 2019 about his relationship with Epstein and with which he finished digging his grave.

So Charles III, determined to protect the image of the monarchy, adopted an implacable stance towards his brother, considered “the black sheep” of the family. Katie Nicholl royalty expert, had already commented years ago that “there is real tension between Charles and Andrés” in part because “Andrés has a very different relationship with his mother, who was much closer to him.” Thus, after the queen withdrew his honorary titles, including the treatment of His Royal Highness, Charles III eliminated his annual financial allowance, completely removing him from any official representation of the royal family. With the arrival of Charles to power, it became clear that there would be no more indulgences or rescues for his younger brother, who since then maintained, although forced and reluctantly, a low profile.

But in recent weeks, his name has been in the headlines again, and not for good reasons, after his links to Yang Tengbo, a Chinese businessman accused by British authorities of being an undercover spy, were revealed. The man, also known as Christopher Yang, was identified as a former Chinese government official who had developed a network of political and business contacts in the United Kingdom and who maintained a relationship of extreme trust with the duke.

According to authorities reports, Yang was a key player in Pitch@Palace China, a business investment initiative promoted by Prince Andrew. The project, which sought to connect entrepreneurs with investors, allowed the duke to earn a 2% commission for each investment deal closed, a considerable financial benefit, and very useful, especially once his “royal” assignment was eliminated. .

Investigations revealed that Yang had been expelled from the United Kingdom for national security reasons and that his link with Prince Andrew raised serious concerns within the British government. After much speculation, the court lifted the anonymity order that protected his identity, publicly exposing his relationships with prominent figures.

The scandal provoked a new avalanche of criticism towards the duke and his entourage, and the local press reported that royal family advisers demanded that he “do the right thing” and stay away from any public events, especially during this season. festive, to avoid further embarrassment to King Carlos III. This included her exclusion from traditional Christmas celebrations at Sandringham, where she previously attended with her daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.

The story of Prince Andrew is an example of how a prominent figure can go from being the queen’s favorite son to a marginalized and controversial shadow, with a future full of uncertainties, but not everyone is against him. Andrés has always had an unconditional ally: Sarah Ferguson, his ex-wife. Although the couple divorced in 1996, their relationship has remained surprisingly close. Not only do they live together, but Sarah has been by his side through his worst times and has worked to generate income through books, television shows, and publishing deals that have helped maintain the family’s lifestyle. “I’m never going to let him fall,” recently stated in an interview for ‘The Sunday Times’, in which he stated that her ex-husband “is the best, “a great man with a big heart.”

The former Duchess of York

Precisely one of the biggest questions is how she and Andrés currently finance their luxurious lifestyle. Even though King Charles III removed their financial allowance, estimated at more than a million pounds a year according to a new biography of the British monarch by royal biographer Robert Hardman, and were expected to leave Royal Lodge, the mansion of 30 rooms in Windsor where they reside, the prince has managed to stay there thanks to funds whose origin has not yet been clarified. Attempts to move him to Frogmore Cottage, a much smaller property in Windsor that was the home of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have so far been unsuccessful, and according to local press the duke is not only unwilling to move, but who is determined to bequeath the lease to his daughters.

But living there is not exactly easy, at least not without an extraordinary amount of income, since the maintenance costs of Royal Lodge are estimated between 400,000 and 500,000 pounds per year, to which are added the expenses of private security, which reach seven figures, and which must also be covered independently after the withdrawal of private protection financed by the king, who has already lost patience with his brother. In May, a palace source cited by ‘The Telegraph’ warned that “as things stand, life at Royal Lodge is destined to become increasingly cold and uncomfortable for the Duke,” and Buckingham Palace hopes that These pressures are enough for him to decide, once and for all, to leave.

Furthermore, as details about the prince’s ties to the Chinese spy and other businessmen become public, pressure is mounting for the former queen’s favorite son, now relegated from the royal family, to reveal the exact source of his secrets. income.