The Truth About Prince Andrew's Relationship With Prince Edward

The youngest sons of Queen Elizabeth II and the late Prince Philip, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward were born a decade after their older siblings, firstborn Prince Charles and second-born Princess Anne. Prince Andrew was born on February 19, 1960, and Prince Edward was born on March 10, 1964. While all siblings have their own unique set of issues that cause strife or form bonds that stand the test of time, being raised in the royal family has its own unique set of circumstances that can potentially cause some uneasiness. And when there's a family scandal thrown into the mix, things can get complicated very quickly.

When you're literally in line to rule a country (Andrew is currently 9th in line to the crown and Edward is 14th in line), disputes are bound to happen. From light bullying to family drama, this is the truth about Prince Andrew and Prince Edward's relationship.

Due to the demands of preparing for royal life, Queen Elizabeth wasn't as present in her first two children's childhoods as she was for Prince Andrew and Prince Edward's. According to royal historian Robert Lacey in an interview with Town & Country, by the time the queen had her second two babies a decade after the first two, she had become "warmer and flexible."

While all royal children have nannies, Andrew and Edward spent less time being raised by them than their elder siblings did. According to the Daily Mail, the queen was far more present for her two youngest boys than she had been a decade earlier. This go-round, she would even cut work events short to spend some extra time in the Buckingham Palace nursery with her boys.

Years later, Andrew and Edward still spend a decent amount of time with their mother. In 2016, the queen was known to stop in to have a drink with Andrew after church most Sundays and then have afternoon tea with Edward and his family (per the Daily Mail). 

Siblings don't always get along. Apparently, this holds true even if you're royalty, as Prince Andrew and Prince Edward have had their own share of tussles as well, whether it was because Edward outperformed Andrew in school or it was just run-of-the-mill sibling rivalry. According to the 1993 book "Royal Children" by Ingrid Seward, as reported by Express, when Andrew and Edward were kids, the older prince used to "swipe" at his younger brother and take things that he knew Edward wanted. "If he saw Edward going for a particular cake, Andrew would try and grab it first," Seward claimed.

According to Express, after high school, Andrew went straight into the military and Edward went off to study at Cambridge. Perhaps because of an admiration for his big brother or a sense of royal duty, Edward tried his hand in the military as well after he was finished at Cambridge. However, Edward only made it through four months of officer training before quitting, whereas Andrew had a long naval career. Like most brothers, Andrew and Edward undoubtedly have a complicated relationship.

Prince Andrew and Prince Edward don't seem to have very much in common, which may have cause a little discord between them. Unlike his brother, known for his scandalous relationships that never seem to last (such as his very public wedding, separation, and divorce from Sarah Ferguson), Edward has never been divorced. In fact, he's been married to his wife, Sophie Rhys-Jones, for over 20 years. Given his very long relationship, it's a possibility that they may view relationships and traditional family values differently. 

Their professional lives have also been very different. After Andrew's successful naval career, he retired and took his royal duties more seriously, becoming a representative for trade and investment for a decade and serving as a working royal (via BBC News). Prince Edward's career, on the other hand, has been more involved with philanthropy and the entertainment industry. According to Oprah Daily, after Edward graduated from Cambridge (another thing they don't have in common — Andrew never attended a university) and tried out his hand in the military, he pursued a career in television, eventually owning his own production company at one point named Ardent Productions. Since 2002, Edward has focused primarily on charity and his royal duties as a working royal.

After Prince Andrew was accused of sexually assaulting an underaged girl (via BBC News), the royal family had some tough decisions to make. As a statement from Buckingham Palace made clear, Prince Andrew was stripped of his royal duties as well as his military titles in January 2022. According to a royal source, the decision to do so had been "widely discussed" amongst members of the royal family who will be the ones to take over Andrew's roles, including Prince Edward, as Harper's Bazaar reported. We doubt this made the brothers' bond any closer.

A source for the Daily Mail noted that the queen's children Prince Charles, Princess Anne, and Edward held several meetings to discuss what to do about what came to be referred to as "The Andrew Problem." One such meeting even included Andrew. The source noted, "They were all in agreement, which took the pressure off their mother, but it is the Queen, ultimately, who still has the power here." It was reportedly vital that Anne and Edward be at the meetings due to the fact that "Charles and Andrew are not particularly close." 

After the scandal surrounding Prince Andrew and his association with Jeffrey Epstein started making headlines, there has presumably been some understandable tension amongst the royal family. Some believe that Prince Edward, in particular, has been avoiding his older brother.

It's been reported that Edward has stopped going to ride his horses at Windsor Great Park, though he had previously gone most days. The speculation is that he has stopped riding out of fear of running into Andrew. According to the Daily Mail, a source from the palace denies any strife and says that things are "fine" between the brothers, adding that Edward has just been "too busy" to keep up his leisure activities. Still, another insider claimed, "Edward doesn't think it is wise to be seen anywhere near Andrew at the moment and he certainly has nothing he wants to say to him about the case."