Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been described as the late Queen Elizabeth II’s “favourite” of her four children. Born in February 1960, Andrew was the late Queen and Prince Philip’s third child, a younger brother for then-Prince Charles and Princess Anne.

Despite Prince Edward joining the family four years later, it was Andrew who reportedly held a special place in the late Queen’s heart. With Charles and Anne being born prior to the late monarch’s reign, Andrew and Edward were born when she was settled in her role as Queen meaning that she was able to a more hands-on mother.

Before his connection to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Andrew grew up as a boisterous extrovert and later followed in his father’s footsteps when he joined the Royal Navy at the age of 18 in 1978.

The prince’s war hero role appeared to bring an unshakeable sense of pride in the late Queen that never truly faded – despite the scandals that later unfolded.

Speaking live on BBC News, Ailsa Anderson, who served as the Queen’s Press Secretary from 2001 to 2013, said: “The media do say that he was the favourite son, but in my 12 years working for the late Queen I never saw her display any favouritism amongst any of her children so I can’t really say that’s true.”

She added: “Of course this story started in 2010, we didn’t know as much as we do now about the full extent of the allegations against Andrew, we did not know about the emails between him and Epstein, so we’re only really finding out the full extent of the matter.

“When the late Queen was alive we did not know the half of it really.”

Andrew used his late mother’s name upon his eviction from Royal Lodge earlier this month. Reports revealed that as he was being evicted, Andrew tried to talk his way out of the eviction – even using his late mother’s name “in his defence”.