From war hero to black sheep of Buckingham Palace: the life of Prince Andrew

Prince Andrew, also known as the Duke of York, was born on February 19, 1960, the second son of the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. He was not an heir to the throne, so he had a little more leeway than his older brother, Charles.

At the elite Gordonstoun school, where Philip also spent his childhood, Andrew learned the royal ropes. But it wasn't until he attended the Royal Naval College that he truly began to develop a passion for the navy. In 1979, he joined the Royal Navy and three years later found himself in the thick of the fighting: the Falklands War.

As a helicopter pilot, he flew dangerous missions and was hailed as a war hero. This earned him not only medals but also the nickname " Action Man ." on.

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In 1986, Prince Andrew married his great love, Sarah Ferguson—known as Fergie to insiders. The two had daughters together, Beatrice (born in 1988) and Eugenie (born in 1990), and although the marriage ended after just six years, their bond remained strong. In fact, Sarah and Andrew even lived together for years.

Prince Andrew then seemed to live the life of a debauched bachelor of the British royal family. Playing a bit of polo, partying with wealthy friends, and occasionally cutting a royal ribbon. But behind the facade of champagne and royal charm lurked a dark side that would ultimately prove fatal for the prince.

His close ties to controversial American millionaire Jeffrey Epstein and convicted felon Ghislaine Maxwell proved anything but innocent. In 2019, Virginia Giuffre accused Andrew of having sex with her when she was a minor. The alleged victim said the prince sweated excessively during the abuse. Andrew denied everything, but his attempt to prove his innocence in an infamous BBC interview ended in disaster.

His explanation? He supposedly "couldn't sweat" due to war trauma. The remark was ridiculed worldwide and spawned countless memes. The damage was immense: Andrew lost all his royal duties and military titles and was banished from the public spotlight. Only Queen Elizabeth reportedly helped him financially with a settlement that, according to insiders, ran into millions.

Since then, he has been hiding out at the Windsor estate, where he leads a secluded life. Official appearances are rare, and his relationship with his brother, King Charles, is reportedly frosty. Yet, Andrew continues to hope for a warmer bond with the royal family , especially now that Charles's health is raising questions.

But it seems even his own daughters are done with him . Beatrice and Eugenie have tried for years to distance themselves from all the misery, but the revelations about their father make that nearly impossible. The two are now reportedly distancing themselves more and more from him, behind the scenes. And all this despite having stood firmly behind him for years.

And although Andrew thought a multi-million dollar settlement would put an end to the affair with Virginia Giuffre, he's disappointed: six months after her death, she's finally released a book with all the sleaze and dirt . You can see more about it in the video below.

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