Prince Andrew, Duke of York

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Prince Andrew, Duke of York bigraphy, stories - Son of Elizabeth II

Prince Andrew, Duke of York : biography

19 February 1960 –

Prince Andrew, Duke of York (Andrew Albert Christian Edward; born 19 February 1960), is the second son and third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. At the time of his birth, he was second in the line of succession to the thrones of seven independent sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms; however, after the births of two children to his elder brother, and an evolution of the Commonwealth, Prince Andrew is currently fourth in line to the thrones of 16 countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Kitts and Nevis.

He also holds the actual rank of commander and the honorary rank of rear admiral in the Royal Navy, in which he served as an active duty helicopter pilot and later instructor in helicopter flight. He saw active service during the Falklands War, flying on multiple missions including anti-surface warfare, Exocet missile decoy and casualty evacuation.

In 1986, Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson; the couple’s marriage, subsequent separation and eventual divorce in 1996 attracted a high level of media coverage. As well as carrying out various royal duties, he served as the United Kingdom’s Special Representative for International Trade and Investment until July 2011.

Early life and education

Prince Andrew was born in the Belgian Suite of Buckingham Palace on 19 February 1960, the third child and second son of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Baptised in the Palace’s Music Room on 8 April 1960, by then Archbishop of Canterbury, Geoffrey Fisher, the Prince’s godparents were: The Duke of Gloucester (his maternal granduncle); Princess Alexandra of Kent (his first cousin once removed); the Earl of Euston; the Lord Elphinstone (his 1st cousin once removed); and Mrs Harold Phillips, and he was named after his paternal grandfather, Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark.

Prince Andrew was the first child born to a reigning British or Commonwealth realms monarch since Queen Victoria’s youngest child, Princess Beatrice, was born in 1857 (incidentally Andrew also named his eldest daughter Beatrice). As the child of the sovereign, Prince Andrew was styled from birth as His Royal Highness and held the title The Prince Andrew.

As with his older siblings, a governess was appointed to look after the Prince and was responsible for his early education at Buckingham Palace. Prince Andrew was then sent to Heatherdown Preparatory School before attending, in September 1973, Gordonstoun, in northern Scotland, as his father and elder brother had done before him. While there, Prince Andrew spent six months from January to June 1977 participating in an exchange programme to Lakefield College School in Lakefield, Ontario, and graduated in July two years later with A-Levels in English, history, economics, and political science. Prince Andrew eschewed university, however, choosing instead to enter the Britannia Royal Naval College at Dartmouth.

Personal interests

The Duke is a capable and keen golfer, playing off a low single-figure handicap.Royal, by Robert Lacey, 2002. He had the honour of being Captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews between 2003 and 2004—during the club’s 250th anniversary season—is patron of a number of royal golf clubs, and has been elected as an honorary member of many others. The Duke has been criticised for using the Queen’s Flight for transport to various golfing functions. He is a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Shipwrights, the senior maritime City livery company. In recent years, he has developed strong links with Kazakhstan and is a regular goose hunting companion of the country’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev. He is a supporter of Norwich City Football Club.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

  • 19 February 1960 23 July 1986: His Royal Highness The Prince Andrew
  • 23 July 1986 present: His Royal Highness The Duke of York