Prince Andrew is the Duke of York. Biography, photo

As you know, fairy tales about princes and princesses, which children like to listen to, always have a happy ending. The heirs of the throne in them are distinguished by ambition, valor and are guided by the ideals of good and justice. However, in reality, as practice shows, the children of monarchs often find themselves at the center of scandals and become participants in trials that are initiated in connection with their far from exemplary behavior. The exception in this sense was not Prince Andrew - the Duke of York. His business reputation in the British kingdom, where the conservative foundations and traditions are strong, has certainly suffered. But is the moral appearance of the aforementioned heir to the throne poor? Let's consider this issue in more detail.

Biographical information

Prince Andrew was born on February 19, 1960 in Buckingham Estate.

The boy became the second offspring of a male, who was born to Queen Elizabeth II in a marriage with the Duke of Edinburgh Philip. He was named after his paternal grandfather, who bore the title of Prince of Greece and Denmark. Prince Andrew, like other children of the royal family, was brought up as a governess. By the age of 19, the young man already had a diploma in the history of economic and political sciences. Taking the document with him, he goes to study at the Royal Naval College, and soon he is enrolled in the flotilla, where he begins to learn the basics of the profession "pilot of a military helicopter."

The beginning of the pilot's career

The heir to the British throne did not take long to get into an internship as a military aircraft. In May 1979, Prince Andrew signed a contract with aviation for a full twelve years.

In 1980, a young man receives a green beret. Over the next two years, a member of the royal family studies in advanced training courses, and then becomes a professional pilot. He joins the 820 squadron of the Naval Aviation Squadron, which is on board the aircraft carrier Invincible.

War

Soon the military conflict between Britain and Argentina for the Falkland Islands begins to develop . The shock forces of the European power were, of course, the naval aviation and the royal fleet, so the English Cabinet did not want to jeopardize the health and life of Elizabeth II's middle son. However, she did not support this idea and insisted that Prince Andrew participate in the war for national interests. After her, the royal couple met their son in Portsmouth, where he arrived on the ship Invincible.

Heir to the throne received gratitude from the commander, who called him a promising officer and an upscale pilot.

Career peak

Prince Andrew (son of Elizabeth II), whose biography deserves special consideration, continues to climb the career ladder: in 1984 he was awarded the rank of lieutenant, and his mother appoints him personal assistant adjutant. In the future, the king's offspring are entrusted with the command of the army in various parts of the planet.

In the winter of 2010, the Duke of York receives another military rank in honor of the fiftieth anniversary - now he is an honorary Rear Admiral. After some time, Prince Andrew (Elizabeth's son) decides to complete his military career and move to civil service as a special sales representative of Great Britain.

Personal life

Relations of the offspring of the British queen with the opposite sex have overgrown with a lot of rumors and rumors. Prince Andrew married when he was 26 years old.

His choice was the daughter of sports manager Prince Charles - Sarah Margaret Ferguson. They were familiar from a young age, but the real spark of love between them ran in 1985. Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson accidentally met at the royal races. Sharks of the pen wrote that not the least role in setting up relations was played by Princess Diana, who wanted to distract the prince from an unsuccessful novel with actress Kurt Stark. The wedding took place in the summer of 1986 in Westminster Abbey, at the same time Prince Andrew was awarded the title of Duke of York. His wife Andrew gave a truly royal gift - an engagement ring encrusted with Burmese ruby.

In the early 90's, when the head of the family "went to sea," the wife of Prince Andrew was not a reclusive way of life. She was often seen in a male society. So there was a first crack in the relationship between Ferguson and the Prince of York. In 1992, the royal couple reported that their union was coming to an end, but only four years later an official divorce was formalized. In marriage, Andrew and Sarah were born two daughters - Beatrice (1988) and Eugene (1990). Subsequently, the ex-spouse of the Prince of York, along with his offspring moved to live in a family residence. Sarah Ferguson remained and remains with Andrew on friendly terms.

Scandal No. 1

One of the unpleasant incidents, which adversely affected the business reputation of Prince of York, is connected with his ex-wife.

She was accused of the following: she wanted to get a large sum of money for arranging her ex-husband's acquaintance with one businessman who had problems in business. It was expected that the royal son, who held the high post of a special sales representative, will help resolve the "business" troubles of his new acquaintance. The amount of the transaction was estimated at 500 000 pounds sterling. And "close to the court" with pleasure took an advance for their work. Subsequently, the fraud was revealed, and Prince Andrew, whose photo began to appear in large numbers in the British media, hastened to state that he did not know anything about his wife's intentions. Sarah Ferguson said that she "decided on such a brave act" only because she is experiencing financial difficulties.

Scandal No. 2

Another painful incident for the Prince of York is his accusation of sexual harassment, the object of which was a minor girl. The plaintiff appealed to the American court for justice to triumph. She claimed that the son of Elizabeth II repeatedly appeared with her in bed: they say, he really liked the figure and slender legs of the girl. The victim added that she received from the Prince of York 15 thousand dollars for the "night of love". Also, the plaintiff added that she worked as a courtesan with a banker named Jeffrey Epstein. Among his regular clients was Prince Andrew. Anyway, but the defendant in every possible way denied the sexual relationship between him and the concubine of Epstein.

A case out of the ordinary ...

An extraordinary incident occurred with the second son of Elizabeth II, when he was in the residence of Buckingham Palace.

Organs of law and order took him for a thief. Prince Andrew decided in the evening to walk through the palace garden. Seeing the man and not recognizing him, the police asked to produce documents. In addition, the orderly sent a pistol to the heir to the throne, but the police rejected this version of what was happening. Such a reaction of law enforcement officers was explained by the fact that on the eve of the incident a certain person tried to illegally enter the palace grounds. Naturally, the police brought Prince Andrew an apology for the inconvenience.

Finally, we note that the Duke of York does not have male children: if he does not marry again, and he does not have a son, his title may return to the Crown.