When Andrew graduated to service on the HMS Hermes, Charles’ prior posting, the unkind comparisons only escalated. Morton quotes a former crew member as saying, ‘Andrew is very likeable but he is very conscious of being a royal.
He’s a bit of a mummy’s boy – you could never say that about Charles.
‘Charles would never need encouragement to join in the fun and he certainly wouldn’t talk about girl conquests’.
The problem followed Andrew to Dartmouth Naval College, where Charles had been extremely popular.
‘When Andrew first arrived, he was resented by some fellow recruits,’ write Morton.
The author quotes one midshipman as saying, ‘[Andrew] played the big ‘I am the Prince’ routine all the time and seemed rather arrogant.’.
An instructor also told the author, ‘Prince Charles is still remembered with tremendous affection but Andrew isn’t popular with either the staff or his fellow cadets.
‘He never lets you forget who he is.’
Andrew’s resentments about Charles exploded when the heir agitated for a slimmed down royal contingent at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012, which only comprised the Queen, Charles, Camilla, William, Kate and Harry.
‘It did cause some ill-feeling among some members of the extended family, including Prince Andrew, who was particularly upset not to have been included,’ claims royal author Katie Nicholl in her book Harry: Life, Loss and Love.
The duo are now uncommonly seen in each other’s direct presence at events, and when they are – in typical Windsor style – their tone is never openly affectionate.