What Did Princess Diana Really Think Of The Former Prince Andrew?
According to Andrew Lownie, author of Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, Princess Diana often wondered if "there was something troubling" her brother-in-law, as she found him to be "very, very noisy and loud."
She also reportedly found his behavior very confusing, with Lownie writing: "One moment he would be diligent and polite, the next aggressive and rude. Like his father [Prince Philip] he had a short temper, a rather Germanic sense of humor, and did not bear fools gladly."
Lownie wrote that Princess Diana said that the former Duke of York's personality "wasn't for [her]." She also described him as someone who was "not a doer," which she didn’t like, adding that he was "very happy to sit in front of the television all day watching cartoons and videos." A stark contrast to the hard worker that is King Charles!
Andrew Was 'Frustrated' About Not Being The Heir To The Throne
Perhaps Andrew was troubled by the fact that he was not the oldest and therefore not the heir to the throne. In contrast, King Charles' personality was much different, which Diana seemingly preferred. Lownie noted that "Charles was sensitive and thoughtful," whereas "Andrew was macho, confident, and extroverted, the sort of son Philip had always wanted."
Fellow royal biographer Tom Quinn echoed this, and wrote in his book Yes Ma'am: The Secret Life of Royal Servants that "Andrew always behaved as if he was frustrated about not being the first-born and therefore destined to become king."
"If he liked a member of his staff, he could be very loyal and supportive, but he couldn't resist being imperious and bossy and bad-tempered if anything went wrong or wasn't done exactly to his liking," Quinn continued.
Princess Diana's Friends Reportedly Thought Andrew Was 'More Fun' Than Charles
Interestingly, Andrew's louder, brasher personality wasn't a turn-off for everyone. In fact, some of Diana's friends reportedly thought he would be a better match for her – but Diana didn't agree, much preferring Charles at the time.
"I think some of Diana's friends thought that Andrew would be more fun for her than Charles because [Andrew] was very much her age and he was full of fun and everything else," royal author Ingrid Seward previously told Us Weekly.
"Diana wasn't interested in Andrew. It was Charles she was interested in," she clarified at the time.