Prince Andrew is the Duke of York. Biography, photo

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:46

As you know, fairy tales about princes and princesses that children love to listen to always have a happy ending. The heirs to the throne in them are distinguished by ambition, valor and are guided by the ideals of goodness and justice. However, in reality, as practice shows, the children of monarchs often find themselves at the center of scandals and become participants in lawsuits that are initiated in connection with their far from exemplary behavior. Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, was no exception in this sense. His business reputation in the British kingdom, where conservative foundations and traditions are strong, has certainly suffered. But does the moral character of the aforementioned heir to the throne really leave much to be desired? Let's take a closer look at this issue.

Biography

Prince Andrew was born on February 19, 1960 at Buckingham Manor.

The boy became the second male offspring, who was born to Queen Elizabeth II in marriagewith the Duke of Edinburgh Philip. He was named after his paternal grandfather, who bore the title of Prince of Greece and Denmark. Prince Andrew, like other children of the royal family, was raised by a governess. By the age of 19, the young man already had a diploma in the history of economic and political sciences. Taking the document with him, he goes to study at the Royal Naval College, and soon he is enrolled in the flotilla, where he begins to learn the basics of the profession "pilot of a military helicopter".

The beginning of a pilot's career

It didn't take long for the heir to the British throne to get on a military aircraft as a trainee. In May 1979, Prince Andrew signed a twelve-year aviation contract.

In 1980, a young man receives a green beret. Over the next two years, a member of the royal family studies in continuing education courses, and then becomes a professional pilot. He joins Naval Aviation Squadron 820, which is serving aboard the USS Invincible.

War

Soon begins to develop a military conflict between Britain and Argentina over the Falkland Islands. The striking forces of the European power were, of course, naval aviation and the Royal Navy, so the English Cabinet did not want to endanger the he alth and life of the middle son of Elizabeth II. However, she did not support this idea and insisted that Prince Andrew participate in the war for national interests. After her, the royal couple met their son inPortsmouth, where he arrived on the ship Invincible.

The heir to the throne received gratitude from the commander, who called him a promising officer and a high-class pilot.

Peak career

Prince Andrew (son of Elizabeth 2), whose biography undoubtedly deserves separate consideration, continues to climb the career ladder: in 1984 he was awarded the rank of lieutenant, and his mother appointed him as a personal assistant - adjutant. In the future, the royal offspring is entrusted with the command of the army in various parts of the planet.

In the winter of 2010, the Duke of York, in honor of the celebration of his fiftieth birthday, receives another military rank - now he is an honorary rear admiral. Some time later, Prince Andrew (Elizabeth's son) decides to end his military career and move into the civilian service as a UK special trade representative.

Private life

The relationship of the offspring of the British queen with the opposite sex has acquired a lot of rumors and rumors. Prince Andrew got married at the age of 26.

His chosen one was the daughter of sports manager Prince Charles - Sarah Margaret Ferguson. They knew each other from a young age, but the real spark of love ran between them in 1985. Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson met by chance at the royal races. Sharks of the pen wrote that Princess Diana played an important role in starting a relationship, who wanted to distract the prince from an unsuccessful romance with actress Koo Stark. The wedding took place in the summer of 1986 at Westminster Abbey, at the same time Prince Andrew was awarded the title of Duke of York. Andrew presented his wife with a truly royal gift - an engagement ring encrusted with a Burmese ruby.

In the early 90s, when the head of the family "went to sea", Prince Andrew's wife led a far from reclusive life. She was often seen in male society. Thus appeared the first crack in the relationship between Ferguson and the Prince of York. In 1992, the royal couple announced that their union was coming to an end, but only four years later an official divorce was issued. In marriage, Andrew and Sarah had two daughters - Beatrice (1988) and Eugene (1990). Subsequently, the ex-wife of the Prince of York, along with his offspring, moved to live in a family residence. Sarah Ferguson remained and remains on friendly terms with Andrew.

Scandal 1

One of the unpleasant incidents that negatively affected the business reputation of the Prince of York is connected with his ex-wife.

She was accused of the following: she wanted to receive a large amount of money for organizing the acquaintance of her ex-husband with an entrepreneur who had problems in business. It was expected that the royal offspring, who held the high post of special trade representative, would help resolve the "business" troubles of his new acquaintance. The deal was valued at £500,000. Moreover, “close to the court” gladly took an advance payment for her work. Subsequently, the fraud was revealed, and Prince Andrew, whose photo began to appear massively in BritishThe media, hastened to declare that he knew nothing about the intentions of his wife. Sarah Ferguson also said that she "decided on such a bold act" only because she was experiencing financial difficulties.

Scandal 2

Another painful incident for the Prince of York is the accusation of sexual harassment against an underage girl. The plaintiff appealed to the American court so that justice would prevail.

She claimed that the son of Elizabeth II repeatedly found herself in bed with her: they say, he really liked the figure and slender legs of the girl. The victim added that for the "night of love" she received from the Prince of York 15 thousand dollars. The plaintiff also added that she worked as a courtesan for a certain banker Jeffrey Epstein. Among his regular customers was Prince Andrew. One way or another, but the defendant in every possible way denied the sexual relationship between him and Epstein's concubine.

A case out of the ordinary…

An extraordinary incident occurred with the second son of Elizabeth II, when he was in the residence of Buckingham Palace.

Law enforcement took him for a thief. Prince Andrew decided to take a walk in the palace garden in the evening. Seeing the man and not recognizing him, the police asked to show documents. In addition, law enforcement officers pointed a gun towards the heir to the throne, but the police rejected this version of what was happening. This reaction of law enforcement officers was explained by the fact thatOn the eve of the incident, a certain person tried to illegally enter the palace grounds. Naturally, the police apologized to Prince Andrew for the inconvenience.

Finally, we note that the Duke of York has no male children: if he does not remarry and have a son, his title may return to the Crown.