It’s no secret that Queen Elizabeth is much closer to Prince Andrew than Prince Charles. While most royal followers believe that the Queen’s busy work schedule as a monarch during Prince Charles’ formative years was the reason she didn’t get the chance to bond with her firstborn, a royal biographer revealed that there’s one surprising reason why Queen Elizabeth favors Prince Andrew more than Prince Charles.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip have four children: Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. While Prince Charles and Princess Anne were born just three years apart, the Queen and her husband had to wait for 10 long years before Prince Andrew was born. Prince Andrew reportedly came after Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were able to resolve a longstanding family row, so the timing of his birth was very special for the royal couple.

People often compare Prince Andrew with Prince Charles as Queen Elizabeth allegedly loves her second son more than the Prince of Wales. In the 2005 book “The Firm,” royal biographer Penny Junor revealed that Queen Elizabeth’s “infinite” closeness to Prince Andrew has something to do with Prince Charles’ former nanny, Helen Lightbody.

“Helen Lightbody was such a terrifying woman that the Queen kept out of the nursery while she was in charge,” wrote Junor. “By the time the Queen had the two younger children, Helen Lightbody had gone and Mabel Anderson, her deputy and a much easier character, was in charge. She and the Queen were good friends and brought the children up together,” she added.

According to Junor, Queen Elizabeth’s closeness to Anderson resulted in much more contact with Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. She reportedly never had such contact with Prince Charles and Princess Anne because she never wanted to enter the nursery when their old nanny, Lightbody, was there.

Growing up, the four children of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip didn’t get to develop a close sibling relationship. “They’re very different, all four of them,” said royal commentator Angela Mollard. “They all get together and they’re all happy at family gatherings but there’s a lot of question marks over how much they see each other between times,” she added.

Royal Family
Queen Elizabeth II with Prince William, Duke of Cambridge; Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence; Princess Anne, Princess Royal; Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex; and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, attend the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on November 10, 2018, in London, England. Chris Jackson/Getty Images

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