Andrew, Prince (1960-…), is the second son of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. A younger brother of King Charles III, Andrew is eighth in the line of succession to the throne. Prince Andrew held a short career commission in the Royal Navy as a helicopter pilot. He served on H.M.S. Hermes in the Falklands War in 1982. Andrew fell from favor years later, after news reports revealed his associations with a convicted sex trafficker. He was forced to forfeit many of his royal privileges.
Prince Andrew Albert Christian Edward was born at Buckingham Palace in London on Feb. 19, 1960. He was the third of his parents’ four children. Andrew was educated at Gordonstoun School in Scotland. In 1979, he joined the Royal Navy and enrolled at Britannia Royal Naval College, commonly known as Dartmouth.
Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson on July 23, 1986. The queen created him Duke of York on his wedding day. The couple separated in 1993 and divorced in 1996. They have two daughters, Beatrice Elizabeth Mary and Eugenie Victoria Helena.
Prince Andrew left active naval service in 2001. He served as the United Kingdom’s special representative for international trade and investment from 2001 to 2011. He then served as a patron for many charity organizations.
In 2019, Prince Andrew withdrew from public duties after he participated in a television interview widely regarded as damaging to the royal family. He also forfeited his allowance from the Sovereign Grant, the royal expense account. The TV interview concerned Andrew’s friendship with the convicted American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Prince Andrew later faced a civil lawsuit in the United States accusing him of sexual assault. In January 2022, the royal family stripped Andrew of his military titles and official connections with royal charities. A month later, Andrew agreed to a settlement in the civil case. As part of the settlement, he admitted no wrongdoing but agreed to make a substantial payment to a charity founded by his accuser.
