Andrew, Duke of York (born 19 February 1960)

Andrew Albert Christian Edward is the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. He was second in the line of succession to the British throne when he was born, and is eighth in line as of June 2020.

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Prince Andrew served in the Royal Navy as a helicopter pilot and instructor and as the captain of a warship. During the Falklands War, he flew on multiple missions including anti-surface warfare, Exocet missile decoy, and casualty evacuation.

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In 1986, Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson. They have two daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. Their marriage, separation, and divorce in 1996 attracted much media coverage. He served as Britain's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment for ten years until July 2011.

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In May 2020 it was announced that Andrew will permanently resign from all public roles following sex abuse allegations.

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Prince Andrew was the first child born to a reigning monarch since the birth in 1857 of Queen Victoria's youngest child, Princess Beatrice. As with his older siblings, Andrew was looked after by a governess, who was responsible for his early education at Buckingham Palace. He was sent to Heatherdown School near Ascot in Berkshire. In 1973, he entered Gordonstoun, in northern Scotland, which his father and elder brother had also attended. While there, he spent six months articipating in an exchange programme to Lakefield College School in Canada. He left Gordonstoun in 1975 with A-Levels in English, History, and Economics.

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In late 1978 Andrew joined the Royal Navy and underwent various sporting tests and examinations at the Aircrew Selection Centre, RAF Biggin Hill and later  enrolled at the Royal Naval College Flight, undergoing pilot training. He was accepted as a trainee helicopter pilot and signed on for 12 years from 11 May 1979. The same year, Prince Andrew was appointed as a midshipman, and entered Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth. where he also completed the Royal Marines All Arms Commando Course for which he received his Green Beret. He was commissioned as a
sub-lieutenant on 1 September 1981 and appointed to the Trained Strength on 22 October.

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After passing out from Dartmouth, the prince went on to elementary flying training with the Royal Air Force at RAF Leeming, and later, basic flying training with the navy at HMS Seahawk, where he learned to fly the Gazelle helicopter. After being awarded his wings, he moved onto more advanced training on the Sea King helicopter, and conducted operational flying training until 1982. He joined carrier-based squadron, 820 Naval Air Squadron, serving aboard the aircraft carrier, HMS Invincible.

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Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory claimed by Argentina, on 2 April 1982, leading to the Falklands War. Invincible was one of the two operational aircraft carriers available at the time, and, as such, was to play a major role in the Royal Navy task force assembled to sail south to retake the islands.

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Prince Andrew's place on board and the possibility of the Queen's son being killed in action made the British government apprehensive, and the cabinet desired that Prince Andrew be moved to a desk job for the duration of the conflict. The Queen, though, insisted that her son be allowed to remain with his ship. Prince Andrew remained on board Invincible to serve as a Sea King helicopter co-pilot, flying on missions that included
anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare, Exocet missile decoy, casualty evacuation, transport, and search and air rescue. He witnessed the Argentinian attack on the SS Atlantic Conveyor.

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In late 1983, Prince Andrew transferred to RNAS Portland, and was trained to fly the Lynx helicopter. In 1984 he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, whereupon the Queen appointed him as her personal
aide-de-camp.

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After serving on HMS Brazen and HMS Edinburgh Prince Andrew served as flight commander and pilot of the Lynx HAS3 on HMS Campbeltown from 1989 to 1991. In 1992 he was promoted to Lieutenant-Commander, passed the ship command examination and from 1993 to 1994, commanded the Hunt-class minehunter HMS Cottesmore.

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He was promoted to Commander in 1999, finishing his active naval career at the British Ministry of Defence in 2001, as an officer of the Diplomatic Directorate of the Naval Staff. In July of that year, Prince Andrew was retired from the Active List of the Navy. Three years later, he was made an Honorary Captain. On 19 February 2010, his 50th birthday, he was promoted to Rear Admiral. Five years later, he was promoted to Vice Admiral.

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Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey on 23 July 1986. The same day, the Queen created him Duke of York, Earl of Inverness, and Baron Killyleagh. Prince Andrew had known Ferguson
since childhood; they had met occasionally at polo matches, and became
re-acquainted with each other at Royal Ascot in 1985.

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The couple appeared to have a happy marriage and had two daughters together, presenting a united outward appearance during the late 1980s. His wife's personal qualities were seen as refreshing in the context of the formal protocol surrounding the Royal Family. However, the Duke of York's frequent travel due to his military career, as well as relentless, often critical, media attention focused on the Duchess of York, led to fractures in the marriage. On 19 March 1992, the couple announced plans to separate and did so in an amicable way. The marriage ended in divorce on 30 May 1996.

HRH Prince Andrew, The Duke of York, and

HRH The Duchess of York in Townsville, Australia, 1988

Prince Andrew at the World Economic Forum

on the Middle East, 2008

Prince Andrew with the US Secretary of Defense

Leon Panetta in 2011

Prince Andrew riding in the carriage procession

at Trooping the Colour, 2012

Prince Andrew meets with Karen Bradley, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Belfast, 2018

Prince Andrew greets US President Donald Trump

outside St. James’s Palace in London, June, 2019

Photo: The White House • Believed to be in the Public Domain

The Duke of York spoke fondly of his former wife: "We have managed to work together to bring our children up in a way that few others have been able to and I am extremely grateful to be able to do that."

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From 2001 until July 2011, the Duke of York worked with UK Trade & Investment, part of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, as the United Kingdom's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment. The post involved representing and promoting the UK at various trade fairs and conferences around the world. Although not universally popular it was said that... "He is particularly passionate when dealing with young start-up entrepreneurs and bringing them together with successful businesses at networking and showcasing events. Andrew is direct and to the point, and his methods seem to work."

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Prince Andrew is also Patron of Fight for Sight, a charity dedicated to research into the prevention and treatment of blindness and eye disease,[125] and was a member of the Scout Association.[ He tours Canada frequently to undertake duties related to his Canadian military role. Rick Peters, the former Commanding Officer of the Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada stated that Prince Andrew is "very well informed on Canadian military methods."

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In 2011 BBC News reported that Prince Andrew's friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, an American financier and convicted sex offender, was producing "a steady stream of criticism", with calls for him to step down from his role as trade envoy.

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In 2015, there was renewed media and public pressure for Buckingham Palace to explain Prince Andrew's connection with Epstein. Buckingham Palace stated that "any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue", later repeating the denials.

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During a BBC Newsnight interview Prince Andrew recounted his friendship with Epstein for the first time and said he did not regret his friendship. The allegations against Prince Andrew would not go away and on 20th November 2019, a statement from Buckingham Palace announced that Prince Andrew was suspending his public duties "for the foreseeable future". The decision, made with the consent of the Queen, was accompanied by the insistence that the Duke sympathised with Epstein's victims. Other working royals are expected to take his commitments over in the short term. On the 21th November, the Duke relinquished his role as chancellor of the University of Huddersfield. Three days later, the palace confirmed that Andrew was to step down from all 230 of his patronages, although he expressed a wish to have some sort of public role at some future time.

Source: wikipedia.com

Images: Believed to be in the Public Domain or used with permission