Why Prince Andrew Felt Only Second Best To Prince Charles

It is said that Prince Andrew grew up hating Prince Charles because of comparisons. Back in their early days, people gave him a nickname that made him come off as the second best, only next to Prince Charles. He allegedly loathed his brother for that.

Even before the birth of Prince William and Prince Harry, Prince Andrew was already behind Prince Charles in line to the crown. Being Queen Elizabeth’s eldest son, Prince Charles was automatically the first heir to the throne, and Prince Andrew knew his position would fall back farther in the line of succession once Prince Charles bears sons. Because of his position as compared to his elder brother, there was a great deal of public attention on Prince Andrew, and he could not help but feel bad for himself.

Royal biographer Andrew Morton revealed in his book “Andrew: The Playboy Prince” that Prince Charles’ existence used to make Prince Andrew feel inadequate in whatever he does. “Throughout his school career and beyond, inevitable and sometimes unfair comparisons have been made between Andrew and his elder brother,” Morton wrote. “To Andrew’s obvious chagrin he found that whatever his achievements, be it in acting, swimming or sailing, Charles had done it first and usually done it better,” he added.

Prince Andrew reportedly always had the urge to follow in his brother’s footsteps and be on par with his achievements. Because of this, the people fondly gave him a title he did not call for. “The fact that Andrew often aped his brother’s antics earned him the nickname ‘Action Man Two,’ not a title he was particularly fond of,” Morton revealed.

In a separate interview, royal expert Richard Kay supported Morton’s claim, saying that Prince Charles thinks his younger brother is desperate to be him. “Andrew was the spare, for a good bit of his life he was very important,” Kay said. “He was the number two, the Queen’s second son and if anything had happened to Charles, it was going to be Andrew who took over,” he added.

The rivalry between Prince Charles and Prince Andrew still manifests today. While Prince William and Prince Harry grew up doing things together and being happy for each other’s achievements, Prince Andrew and Prince Charles didn’t.