What Queen Elizabeth forgot about her youngest son Prince Edward
Prince Edward is the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, however despite being the baby of the family reports say the Earl of Wessex’s birthday was forgotten while in his 20s by his mother.
Now 54 years old, Prince Edward had a rather sobering experience in his younger life that the public took to social media to extend their sympathies.
Jeremy Paxman’s new Channel 5 documentary is delving into the early life of the Queen’s children, and his biographer Ingrid Seward described him as a young lonely royal who found it difficult to find his place in Buckingham Palace.
Seward, the editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, said he was the “overlooked” third son.
“At Buckingham Palace, he was lonely.
“One year on his birthday he went to have breakfast with the Queen, and nothing was said. No card, no present. She didn’t know it was his birthday,” Seward recounted.
Previously she had mentioned the same experience in her 2005 book Prince Edward: A Biography, where she described the Queen eating her toast and marmalade and sipping her special blend of homemade tea.
The Prince’s demeanour hadn’t changed throughout breakfast, however, when a royal aide was made aware of the situation, the Queen was alerted, a “hasty” phone call was made, and presents were delivered to him a few hours later.
"If it had been Prince Edward’s 20th or his 30th, his mother would not have forgotten,'" Steward wrote.
She also noted the Queen’s second “heroic” son Andrew, who fought in the war, was her favourite son.
Daily Mail’s Richard Kay told Jeremy Paxman that Prince Edward never really knew where he fit in.
“His royal aides once told me that the trouble with Prince Edward is that he can never decide whether he is His Royal Highness or Edward Windsor.
“He couldn't tell whether he was one of us or a member of the royal family,” Kay said.
This news comes days after the surprising revelation that Prince Charles claimed his younger brother, Prince Andrew, wanted to be him.
The dynamic that existed between Prince Charles and his youngest brother, Edward, was extremely separate.
“Charles is 16 years older than Edward and they weren't close,” Stewart admitted.
She also confirmed their was a time where Prince Charles was the ‘leading’ son of the family.
“On one of those occasions Prince Edward went upstairs and found some of the Duke of Windsor's old kilts which of course were all the tartans that the Prince of Wales is entitled to wear, and he thought, 'Ooh those look rather fun.' So, he put one on, and it fitted.
“He went down to dinner in a tartan which was that of the Duke of Rothesay, and as he went into the dining room Charles went apoplectic and said, ‘What are you doing wearing that? I am the only one entitled to wear that kilt. It is a kilt for the Prince of Wales. Go upstairs and take it off.’”
“Edward being such a calm person just went, 'OK', went upstairs and took it off and never mentioned it again.”
Scroll through the gallery above to see Prince Edward through the years.
Are you surprised by the Queen forgetting Prince Edward’s birthday? Let us know in the comments below.