Why Prince Charles Was More Liked In College Than Prince Andrew

Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, has had a long-standing feud with his brother Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales. The feud seems to be deeper than simple brotherly competition, even going as far as exclusion from royal appearances. It seems to be rooted from their twelve-year age difference and the vast differences on how each of Queen Elizabeth’s children had been treated in their formative years.

Prince Charles is the next in line to the throne and has been treated preferentially and differently among his peers. As most eldest children are raised, the Prince of Wales was raised in a very secure and traditional setup.

He was taken care of by nannies and followed the footsteps of his father, Prince Philip, by undertaking naval training. Prince Charles is well respected and held in high regard by his peers, leaving a lasting impression as a “practical joker” during his training.

Unfortunately for Prince Andrew, this left him with big shoes to fill after he entered the Dartmouth Royal Naval College. Andrew Morton writes in his 1983 book “Andrew: The Playboy Prince” about how the Duke of York was disliked by his fellow recruits, compared to his brother, who was a “firm favorite.” While Charles was “remembered with tremendous affection,” Andrew was seen as “arrogant” and too full of himself with his “I am the Prince Routine.”

“Andrew isn’t popular with either the staff or his fellow cadets,” wrote Morton. “His brother was a great practical joker. But Andrew walks away from anything like that. He never lets you forget who he is.”

Andrew was frequently being compared to Charles, and it cast a huge shadow over him, which made it difficult for him to get away from. Be it in school or other extracurricular activities, Charles had already done it first, and others would argue that he had “done it better.” This would dub Andrew as “Action Man 2,” a name he particularly disliked.

“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,” Morton added. “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.”