Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's 'childlike tendencies worried Queen Elizabeth II'

Ben McCaffrey
Tue, 07 Apr 2026 09:06:29 +0000

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s childlike tendencies “worried” Queen Elizabeth II, according to a royal biographer.

The claim features in Robert Hardman's latest work, titled Queen Elizabeth II, which the Mail on Sunday is serialising.

The extract explores the Queen's concerns regarding her so-called "favourite son" including his "collection of teddy bears," a seemingly trivial hobby. However, other behaviours suggested "more deep-rooted tendancies".

"He never drank alcohol and always stuck to room-temperature water," a friend of the family explained.

TRENDING

Stories

Videos

Your Say

"Fair enough, but I once asked him why, and he answered like a child: 'I tasted it once when I was a teenager and I didn't like it.'

"That's why the Queen would always worry about him."

In fact, Mr Hardman's latest book claims the late Queen saw Andrew "vulnerable," and felt he had been "manipulated," according to a Royal House member.

It was also detailed how Andrew had been a "wonderful baby" despite his differences from his brother, King Charles.

"He wasn't sensitive like Charles but, rather, all things that [the Queen's] husband had been – a straightforward, handsome naval officer," a family friend explained.

The similarities to Prince Philip continued. One long-serving member of the Royal Household said that, like his father, Andrew "could be rude to people".

Unlike the late Duke of Edinburgh, however, Andrew was "not as intelligent".

LATEST ROYAL NEWS

Inside the £4,000 per week rental home Prince Edward and Sophie used as Andrew drags his feet

Berkshire residents speak out over footpath ban near Pippa's home

Donald Trump asks if Canada has 'stopped' recognising King

"He created a character that allowed him to survive in the circles he mixed in, which was this rude, blustering, boring man," they added.

It was also noted how Andrew was a "seven-year-old who never grew up".

The late Queen's adoration for her youngest son is well-documented. Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, adopted the Queen's beloved corgis following her death in September 2022.

Upon her passing, the then-Prince Andrew wrote in a tribute: "Mummy, your love for a son, your compassion, your care, your confidence I will treasure forever.

"I have found your knowledge and wisdom infinite, with no boundary or containment."

But the late Queen removed his military titles and patronages in January 2022 before her death, amid his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.