Queen's Sympathy for Spares

0:00On April 20th, Queen Elizabeth II always had a soft spot for the younger royals, the ones playing second fiddle to their older siblings. Biographer Robert Hardman says she felt de-compassion for folks like Prince Harry and Prince Andrew, calling them the spares with less defined roles, in the family firm. Her own history shaped that sympathy. Her dad, King George VI, was a spare thrust into the throne after his brother's abdication. And her sister Princess Margaret dealt with the same shadows with Elizabeth always stepping up as her defender. As a mom and grandma, the Queen worried about Andrew and Harry lacking clear paths compared to their big brothers. Hardman notes she adored Harry and saw Andrew as vulnerable, maybe not the sharpest and sometimes borish. Experts like Tina Brown called Andrew her favorite kid, the one she shielded fiercely, which some say didn't help him in the long run. Fast forward, he lost his titles in 2025 over Epstein ties and faced arrest the next year for misconduct allegations.

1:01The Sussex is stepping away in 2020, only added to her final year's stress, leaving a mark on the monarchy that still echoes today. Stay in the know with entertainment and celebrity news today. AI-powered updates. I'm Cory with the story.