Does Prince Charles Get Along With Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, Princess Anne?

Prince Charles’ relationship with his parents, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip, can be described as complicated at best. His relationship with his younger siblings, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, is not exactly perfect either, according to some reports.

He Didn’t Get Along With Princess Anne

Prince Charles’ rocky marriage with the late Princess Diana is now public knowledge. At the time when his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles was still slowly being revealed, rumors about Princess Anne’s alleged affair with Andrew Parker Bowles, Camilla’s ex-husband, also surfaced.

Princess Anne reportedly confronted her older brother about his adulterous affair with Camilla. But Prince Charles was having none of Anne’s preaching and retorted that she should worry about her own problematic situation.

The confrontation resulted in their strained relationship for years to come. However, the two seemed to have mellowed down as they got older and patched up their differences.

He Might Be At Odds With Prince Andrew

Recent reports are speculating that Prince Charles might be at odds with his younger brother Prince Andrew. The latter was conspicuously absent during the 50th anniversary of Charles’ investiture as Prince of Wales.

While their youngest brother, Prince Edward, was likewise absent, he has a very valid excuse — he was officiating the Duke of Edinburgh award program. Due to Prince Andrew’s absence, there are speculations that either he might not have been invited or, if he was invited, he declined the invitation. Either way, his absence seems to suggest that all’s not well between the brothers.

In the Channel 5 documentary titled “Jeremy Paxman On The Queen’s Children,” it was discussed that Prince Andrew might have resented being viewed as Prince Charles’ “spare” as he was the second in line to the throne before Charles’ children, Prince William and Prince Harry, were born.

It even seemed that Prince Charles knew of his younger brother’s state of mind. “Charles said ‘the trouble with my brother Andrew is that he wants to be me,’” royal expert Richard Kay recounted a conversation he had with the heir apparent.

Potential Conflict With Prince Edward

Prince Charles is more than 15 years older than his youngest sibling, Prince Edward. Due to this considerable age difference, it’s normal to expect the two brothers not to be very close.

Surprisingly, fans don’t hear the two royals having any issues at all as Prince Edward is the type who prefers to work behind the scenes. However, royal observers believe that there’s an issue that might potentially cause friction between the two brothers.

During the 2012 Diamond Jubilee, Prince Charles excluded both Prince Andrew and Prince Edward from the royal family’s balcony appearance. “Charles is making it very clear that he sees a minimal public role for his brothers and none for their children,” historian and author Robert Lacey noted.