Prince Charles is the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth, and Prince Andrew is the third child and second son of Her Majesty. With them being brothers and members of the royal family, many are expecting for the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York to be close. But, they are not.
As if that's not enough, royal author Tom Bower said that Prince Charles and Prince Andrew’s strained relationship got even worse. The Duke of York allegedly “spread poison” about Camilla to Queen Elizabeth, making the Prince of Wales and her wife very upset about it.
According to Bower, Prince Charles thinks that Prince Andrew is jealous of him and wanted to be like him. The Prince of Wales believed that his younger brother is after his title, and even dragged the late Princess Diana into the picture.
“Mindful of Diana’s prediction on Panorama that he would never be King, Charles convinced himself that even Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson, were hatching plans to replace him as heir,” Bower said. Acting as Prince Charles, the royal author added, “Andrew wanted to be me. I should have let him work with me. Now he’s unhelpful.”
As for Prince Charles and Camilla’s relationship, Prince Andrew had never really been supportive of it. However, this is not just a one-way street. The feeling is, actually, mutual as the Prince of Wales wasn’t also a fan of the Duke of York’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.
Prince Charles, allegedly, didn’t want to invite Sarah to Prince Harry’s wedding. But, the Duke of Sussex and Meghan Markle wanted her to be there. Since it was their ceremony, their decision was followed. However, on Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding, Prince Andrew and his daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were there, and Sarah Ferguson was noticeably absent.
Meanwhile, despite being the eldest and the heir to the throne, Prince Charles is reportedly not Queen Elizabeth’s favorite child. Her Majesty and Prince Philip have four children: Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward. According to royal historian Piers Brendon, Queen Elizabeth’s favorite child is her third one, Prince Andrew.
Journalist and broadcaster Jeremy Paxman said that it is because the Duke of York was an “action man.” "Andy skipped university and went straight to naval college, which went down well with his naval officer father,” he said. “He completed the Marines Commando course, just to show he could, before qualifying as a helicopter pilot. Then, aged just 22, he fought in the Falklands."
