Queen Elizabeth Surprised Visitors After Prince Andrew’s Birth By Doing These Activities

Queen Elizabeth II previously surprised visitors with how much she has changed after the birth of Prince Andrew.

Her third child was born in 1960, which is 10 years after Princess Anne was born. As such, Her Majesty’s way of raising her children has improved, if not different. After the birth of Prince Charles and Princess Anne, Her Majesty was dubbed as a distant mom.

She often traveled the world for her royal tours and engagements with Prince Philip and left her two children under the care of their nannies. After one of her longest tours, the monarch returned home and shook the hand of Prince Charles instead of giving him a hug.

In the book “Andrew: The Playboy Prince,” royal author Andrew Morton said that the Queen had more time for Prince Andrew and his younger brother, Prince Edward.

“Visitors, bracing themselves for an interview with the monarch, would often be astonished to find her on the floor playing games with the toddler. The Queen looked forward to the nanny’s night off with relish, for then she could go to the nursery and bathe and read bedtime stories to her favorite son,” he said.

Growing up, Prince Andrew developed a close relationship with the Queen. In fact, the dad of two also gave his mom a unique nickname. According to Morton, the Duke of York used to call the monarch “Mamba.”

Prince Andrew’s birth was also very significant because he became the first child to be born to a reigning monarch since the birth of Queen Victoria’s youngest daughter, Princess Beatrice, in 1857. His birth also heralded the change of the royal family’s surname from Windsor to Mountbatten-Windsor.

Royal biographer Sally Bedell-Smith said that the Queen and Prince Philip didn’t have more children immediately after Princess Anne’s birth because they couldn’t agree on what surname to give to their kids.

In the book “Elizabeth the Queen,” Bedell-Smith said that Prince Philip’s uncle, Earl Mountbatten, believed that the 10-year delay of the couple having more children was because of this.