Prince Andrew, Duke of York KG GCVO (Andrew Albert Christian Edward; born 19 February 1960), is the second son, and third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. At the time of his birth, he was second in the line of succession to the thrones of seven independent sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms; however, after the births of two children to his elder brother, and an evolution of the Commonwealth, Prince Andrew is currently fourth in line to the thrones of 16 countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Kitts and Nevis.
He also holds the actual rank of commander and the honorary rank of rear admiral in the Royal Navy, in which he served as an active duty helicopter pilot and later instructor in helicopter flight. He saw active service during the Falklands War, flying on multiple missions including anti-surface warfare, Exocet missile decoy and casualty evacuation.
In 1986, Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson; the couple's marriage, subsequent separation and eventual divorce in 1996 attracted a high level of media coverage. As well as carrying out various royal duties, he served as the United Kingdom's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment until July 2011.
Read more about Prince Andrew, Duke Of York: Early Life and Education, Marriage and Divorce, Official Duties, Personal Interests, Issue, Ancestry
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“When the Prince of Wales [later King George IV] and the Duke of York went to visit their brother Prince William [later William IV] at Plymouth, and all three being very loose in their manners, and coarse in their language, Prince William said to his ship’s crew, “now I hope you see that I am not the greatest blackguard of my family.””
—Horace Walpole (1717–1797)
“A frog in love would not be enchanted to learn that her beloved had turned into Prince Charming.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)
“Autumn in New York, why does it seem so inviting?”
—Vernon Duke (1903–1969)
“And New York is the most beautiful city in the world? It is not far from it. No urban night is like the night there.... Squares after squares of flame, set up and cut into the aether. Here is our poetry, for we have pulled down the stars to our will.”
—Ezra Pound (1885–1972)