‘I worked for Queen Elizabeth - I know who her favourite child was but it wasn’t Andrew’

Detailed summary

Waiting, Lady Anne Glenconner, previously observed, it was "rather like she had two families" because by the time Andrew and Edward came along, the Queen was far more settled on…

For years, royal watchers have speculated that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was Queen Elizabeth II’s undisputed favourite child. However, according to one of the late monarch’s most trusted former aides, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Speaking on the Royal Exclusive podcast, former press secretary Dickie Arbiter claimed that the Queen actually "had more time" for her youngest son, Prince Edward - now the Duke of Edinburgh. Mr Arbiter did not hold back in his assessment of Andrew, describing him as "arrogant" and "bombastic" while insisting he was "never the favourite".

"He went about life quietly without pushing himself and he's doing a tremendous job today," Mr Arbiter explained, suggesting it was this understated dedication that won the late Queen’s quiet approval. To understand the late Queen's relationship with her children, royal commentators have often highlighted the unique timeline of her motherhood, which saw her four children with Prince Philip effectively split into two distinct eras.

King Charles (born November 1948) and Princess Anne (born August 1950) both arrived before their mother ascended to the throne in February 1952, meaning the newly crowned monarch was heavily occupied with state duties and gruelling overseas tours during their early childhoods. By contrast, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (born February 1960) and Prince Edward (born March 1964) arrived after she was already well-established as sovereign - making Andrew the first child born to a reigning British monarch in over a century.

Because of this long pause in expanding their family, there is a nine-and-a-half-year age gap between Princess Anne and Andrew, stretching to a 15-year gap between the oldest and youngest. As Princess Margaret's former Lady-in-Waiting, Lady Anne Glenconner, previously observed, it was "rather like she had two families" because by the time Andrew and Edward came along, the Queen was far more settled on the throne and "able to spend much more time with them".

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