Prince William Snubs Dad Prince Charles, Looks Up To Prince Andrew Instead

Prince William snubbed his own father Prince Charles for his uncle Prince Andrew.

According to Katie Nicholl in her 2010 book "William and Harry," the Duke of Cambridge wanted to be like Prince Andrew who famously served in the Falklands War. Prince William planned his future and decided to follow the Duke of York’s career instead of his father’s.

“He had already decided he wanted to be a pilot like his Uncle Andrew,” Nicholl wrote.

“[William] had enjoyed the fortnight he had spent working with the RAF Valley Mountain Rescue Team in Anglesey, where he learned about helicopter flying and mountain rescue.”

Prince Andrew joined the Royal Navy in 1979 as a helicopter pilot. Prince William later became a helicopter pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance.

Prince William also opted against Cambridge education unlike Prince Charles. Instead, he chose to enroll at University of St. Andrews where he met Kate Middleton.

Prince William’s fondness of Prince Andrew is understandable since the Duke of York was very keen on the military discipline and flying. Royal biographer Anthony Holden described Prince Andrew as one of the lads in the navy. Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales was a “misfit” in the navy according to him.

In addition, some royal biographers feel that Prince Andrew is a better dad than Prince Charles. According to reports, Prince Charles has a tricky relationship with his sons Prince William and Prince Harry. Royal author Penny Junor said that the future king has always been a remote figure and has always been consumed by his royal duties.

On the other hand, Prince Andrew has always been the hands-on type of father. The Duke of York is very close to his two daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. In fact, Princess Eugenie previously described her dad as her “rock.”

Interestingly, there’s a particular thing that Prince William has to learn from Prince Andrew when it comes to royal spending. The Duke of York earned the moniker “Air Miles Andy” due to his outrageous travel expenses. The duke often travels with five officials, flies first class on chartered planes and stays at five-star hotels. Prince Andrew has been advised to cut his travel expenses.