Prince Charles’ surprising admission: Prince Andrew “wants to be me”
Prince Charles has revealed that Prince Andrew “wants to be him” in a new documentary on Channel 5 in the UK. The documentary with Jeremy Paxman talks about the early lives of the Queen’s children, which includes sibling rivalry.
The Daily Mail’s Richard Kay has described Andrew’s place in the royal family as the “spare part”, which is a sentiment reinforced in the documentary.
When asked about how Prince Charles feels about his brother, Kay is able to recall a past incident and shares with Paxman:
“Charles said, ‘The trouble with my brother Andrew is that he wants to be me.’”
Kay continues to explain the sibling dynamic, saying that Prince Andrew is a “curious” position.
“Andrew was the spare, for a good bit of his life he was very important.
“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.”
Prince Charles and Prince Andrew with their mother, Queen Elizabeth II
However, due to the birth of Prince William and Prince Harry, as well as the birth of William’s three children, this bumped Prince Andrew down to seventh-in-line for the throne.
His biographer, Ingrid Stewart, also confirmed the dynamic between the two brothers.
“Charles is 16 years older than Edward and they weren't close,” Stewart admitted.
Stewart can also remember a time where Prince Charles seemed to pull rank amongst the siblings.
“On one of those occasions Prince Edward went upstairs and found some of the Duke of Windsor's old kilts which of course were all the tartans that The Prince of Wales is entitled to wear, and he thought, 'Ooh those look rather fun.' So, he put one on, and it fitted.
“He went down to dinner in a tartan which was that of the Duke of Rothesay, and as he went into the dining room Charles went apoplectic and said, ‘What are you doing wearing that? I am the only one entitled to wear that kilt. It is a kilt for the Prince of Wales. Go upstairs and take it off.’”
“Edward being such a calm person just went, 'OK', went upstairs and took it off and never mentioned it again.”
Are you surprised by this sibling rivalry between Prince Charles and Prince Andrew? Let us know in the comments.