Disgraced Prince Andrew was original ‘spare’ — but also Queen Elizabeth’s favorite: ‘Secrets’

Prince Harry can step apart — the OG “spare” is definitely Prince Andrew.

A brand new A&E documentary, “Secrets and techniques of Prince Andrew,” has revealed why the scandal-ridden Duke of York has at all times been thought-about the late Queen Elizabeth’s “favourite” little one in addition to the unique surplus prince.

“We all know from Prince Harry that the ‘spare’ creates an thought of resentment and jealousy,” British biographer Andrew Lownie mentioned.

“[Prince] Andrew was an accident ready to occur for years.”

The Submit has reached out to reps at Buckingham Palace for remark.

Andrew, 63, was at all times rumored to be the long-reigning monarch’s most liked and most treasured son, regardless of not being the firstborn.

Because the third little one of the queen — who died in September 2022 on the age of 96 — and her late husband, Prince Philip, he was second in line to the throne on the time of his beginning in 1960.

“His beginning was celebrated as he was the following male inheritor, regardless of [his sister Princess] Anne being [born] second,” journalist Dickie Arbiter mentioned within the doc. “If [King] Charles died, then Andrew can be the one immediately in line to succeed him.”

He added that the queen had already settled into her life as a mom by the point Andrew got here alongside, as she had given beginning to Anne in 1950 and Charles simply two years earlier.

“Courtiers” writer Valentine Low interjected and identified how she was an “indulgent” mom to Andrew, and with him, she might “sit again a bit” to take pleasure in motherhood.

“She was a barely absent mom to her older kids,” Low mentioned.

” ‘I can learn him bedtime tales,’ ” the author famous of what the monarch allegedly mentioned throughout Andrew’s childhood.

“Charles’ future was ordained and this arrange tensions between Andrew and Charles. He thought Andrew had a neater journey at life,” Lownie mentioned.

He remarked how Andrew was a prankster in his youth and “was indulged within the ways in which the opposite kids weren’t as a result of boundaries have been by no means set for him.”

“Everybody talks about him not rising up. He’s a kind of Peter Pan determine and has been emotionally stunted,” Lownie mentioned.

As soon as Charles had his kids — Harry, and Prince William — Andrew dipped additional and additional down the line of succession.

Arbiter additionally mentioned when the previous Prince of Wales welcomed his sons, Andrew’s position as a “spare” was beginning to fade into the space. Within the early Eighties — earlier than he married Sarah Ferguson in 1986 — he was having enjoyable and had an eye fixed for the women.

“One factor within the royal household is that you just don’t present emotion in public,” Arbiter mentioned, including that when Charles married the late Princess Diana in 1981, Andrew was barely 21 years outdated.

“This signified that marriage means kids and kids signifies that [Andrew] can be dropping down in line of succession. Psychologically, he discovered that the standing because the ‘spare’ was unmistakable,” the royal professional went on.

Andrew had then joined the Royal Navy in 1982 and fought within the Falklands Warfare. He desired to achieve success in that endeavor in an try to show himself.

As soon as he arrived again from the Falklands, he started seeing actress Koo Stark. They break up following pressure from Elizabeth in 1983, however they stayed mates following their breakup.

Nonetheless, their relationship was controversial and the British media was largely unkind to her.

The press “put their claws into her,” Arbiter recalled. “That most likely would have been an excellent match for Andrew.”

Stark and Andrew’s romance fizzled out, allegedly as a result of her determination to behave in a lesbian shower scene for an grownup movie.

In keeping with Lownie, Andrew wished to “quiet down” with Stark by 1985, and he was “upset” that their love affair was unable to proceed. “He wasn’t allowed to marry the ladies he liked,” he mentioned.

As soon as Andrew and Ferguson — additionally affectionately generally known as Fergie — tied the knot in 1986, and so they welcomed their daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie in later years, life appeared blissful for a time.

“The queen liked the concept her son obtained married,” Arbiter mentioned of the nuptials. However Fergie and Andrew had their points behind the scenes and introduced their separation in 1992.

In keeping with the documentary, the previous Weight Watchers spokesmodel noticed her husband only some instances out of the 12 months and was fed up with being the devoted spouse.

Their marriage got here to a screeching halt when photographs of Fergie’s toes being sucked by her monetary advisor John Bryan whereas on trip have been printed within the newspapers in 1992.

“[With those pictures], Fergie was sacrificed on the altar of tabloids so as to defend different members of the royal household,” screenwriter Daisy Goodwin mentioned.

“As a result of Andrew and Sarah have been farther down the road of succession, they have been honest sport [in terms of] grime on them. They weren’t going to carry down the monarchy,” she defined.

Following their divorce, Andrew and Fergie have stayed mates — even living together at their longtime home, the Royal Lodge.

Andrew’s scandals, equivalent to his affiliation with lifeless convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, in addition to the previous lawsuit filed in opposition to him by sufferer Virginia Roberts Giuffre, have plagued a lot of his life.

The doc additionally notes that when his mom died, Andrew misplaced her as his “security web” concerning the assorted accusations in opposition to him.

“Her demise was virtually unimaginable and the entire nation kind of thought that she would dwell without end,” Goodwin mentioned.

“Andrew’s life goes to be a lot more durable now that the queen is lifeless. She was his champion and was the one who discovered him irresistible,” she mentioned.

The “Victoria” creator added: “Charles clearly finds him unsympathetic, and Andrew doesn’t have a number of mates left within the royal household.”

“Secrets and techniques of Prince Andrew” premieres Monday, Aug. 21 on A&E.