Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was long believed to be Queen Elizabeth II’s favourite of her four children, but one of the late monarch’s former colleagues has now cast doubt on the claim

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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was “never the favourite” child of Queen Elizabeth II, according to the late monarch’s former press secretary. For many years, it has been widely reported that the former Prince, whose three siblings are King Charles, Princess Anne and Prince Edward, held a particularly cherished place in his mother’s affections.

However, Dickie Arbiter, who served as the Queen’s press secretary from 1988 to 2000, has cast doubt on this long-held assumption.

Speaking on the Royal Exclusive podcast, he claimed: “He was never the favourite, he was arrogant, he was bombastic, he always pushed himself in front to the detriment of everybody else.”

Dickie suggested that the Queen, who died away in 2022, actually “had more time for Edward”, attributing this to him “being quiet”. He continued: “He went about life quietly without pushing himself and he’s doing a tremendous job today.

“[He’s also had a] happy marriage to Sophie (the Duchess of Edinburgh) for over 25 years but Andrew was always up front, he was always the noisy one and he was always the noisy one as an adult until he was put back in his box,” Dickie added.

The former royal press secretary’s assertion is supported by royal biographer Matthew Dennison, who has similarly suggested that Edward was the Queen’s favoured child.

In his extensive biography of the Queen, he wrote: “Prince Edward, seemingly a bit wet and a tad irritating to the rest of us, was always his parents’ favourite.

“That became apparent in 1987 when Edward, aged 22, opted out of the Royal Marines when he was just a third of the way through his 12-month basic training course,” he explained.

“To the surprise of some, Prince Philip (Captain-General of the Royal Marines) did not come down on his son like a ton of bricks. He accepted that the Marines ‘wasn’t right for Edward’ – and to this day Edward is grateful for that.”

Ailsa Anderson, who served as the Queen’s press secretary from 2001 to 2013, stated she witnessed no favouritism regarding the Queen and her four children with Prince Philip.

“The media do say that he was the favourite son, but in my 12 years working for the late Queen I never saw her display any favouritism amongst any of her children so I can’t really say that’s true,” she told BBC News.

In October 2025, Andrew was stripped of his royal titles by the King following allegations against him and fresh revelations about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died in 2019.

He has always denied any wrongdoing, though was later forced to leave his Windsor mansion, moving to the monarch’s private Sandringham estate in Norfolk earlier this year.

The Darlington Duck Race starts at 2pm on Saturday, September 26, behind St Cuthbert’s Church in the Market Place and finishes near the Premier Inn.

Residents may already have spotted a number of illuminated and decorated ducks displayed in shop windows and at landmarks across Darlington town centre as excitement builds for the event.

Organised by St Teresa’s Hospice in partnership with Darlington Borough Council and Darlington Rotary Club, the fundraiser will see numbered rubber ducks race along the River Skerne for the chance to win cash prizes.

Participants can purchase a duck for £5, with every entry linked to a uniquely numbered ticket.

The owners of the first three ducks across the finish line will win prizes.

The event will raise money for St Teresa’s Hospice, which celebrates its 40th anniversary in December.

St Teresa’s Hospice provides palliative and end-of-life care for people with life-limiting illnesses and support for their families and carers.

Ducks are available from Angel’s Cut, Charles Clinkard and Leggs, as well as online.

Sales through participating outlets close at midnight on September 20, but limited entries may still be available on race day.

Families and spectators are expected at the riverside, with visitors urged to explore the town centre’s colourful duck displays before the race.

The race is licensed as a Small Society Lottery and is open to people aged 16 and over.

Only winners aged 16 or over can claim prize money.

Organisers have also issued a reminder about water safety, urging spectators to follow instructions from marshals and volunteers throughout the event.

Only authorised personnel will be allowed to enter the river.

Children must be supervised by a parent or responsible adult, and well-behaved dogs are welcome on leads.

The event will raise money for vital hospice services while bringing families and the community together by the riverside.

Duck Trail Maps can be purchased from any shop displaying a duck in its window.

Tom Beattie, managing director at the production company behind the Mr Bean animated series, Tiger Aspect Kids & Family, added: “Having been a Beano Fan Club member as a kid, it’s a dream come true to work on this collaboration – it feels like the perfect partnership between two comedy greats.

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series

Michael J. Fox, Shrinking

Brett Goldstein, Shrinking

Hamish Linklater, Widow’s Bay

Christopher McDonald, Hacks

Rob Reiner, The Bear

Connor Storrie, Saturday Night Live

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Claire Danes, The Beast in Me

Sally Field, Remarkably Bright Creatures

Carey Mulligan, Beef

Sarah Pidgeon, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette

Sarah Snook, All Her Fault

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Riz Ahmed, Bait

Jason Bateman, Black Rabbit

Charlie Hunnam, Monster: The Ed Gein Story

Oscar Isaac, Beef

Matthew Rhys, The Beast in Me

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Linda Cardellini, DTF St. Louis

Dakota Fanning, All Her Fault

Laurie Metcalf, Monster: The Ed Gein Story

Joy Sunday, DTF St. Louis

Youn Yuh-jung, Beef

Constance Zimmer, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Jason Bateman, DTF St. Louis

Richard Gadd, Half Man

David Harbour, DTF St. Louis

Richard Jenkins, DTF St. Louis

Charles Melton, Beef

Nick Offerman, Death by Lightning

Jason Bateman and David Harbour will face off in the Bestg Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for DTF St. Louis

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Outstanding Reality Competition Program

Dancing With the Stars

RuPaul’s Drag Race

Survivor

Top Chef

The Traitors

Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program

RuPaul Charles, RuPaul’s Drag Race

Alan Cumming, The Traitors

Kristen Kish, Top Chef

Ariana Madix, Love Island

Jeff Probst, Survivor

Outstanding Host for a Game Show

Steve Harvey, Celebrity Family Feud

Ken Jennings, Jeopardy

Colin Jost, Pop Culture Jeopardy

Jimmy Kimmel, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire

Martin Short, Match Game

Outstanding Structured Reality Program

Antiques Roadshow

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

Love Is Blind

Queer Eye

Shark Tank

Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program

America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders

Love on the Spectrum

RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked

Summer House

Welcome to Wrexham

Summer House received a surprise nomination in the Best Unstructured Reality Program category

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Outstanding Variety Series

The Daily Show

Jimmy Kimmel Live

Last Week Tonight With John Oliver

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert

Saturday Night Live

Outstanding Game Show

Celebrity Family Feud

Jeopardy

The Price Is Right

Wheel of Fortune

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire

Outstanding Movie

Heads of State

Miss You, Love You

People We Meet on Vacation

Remarkably Bright Creatures

Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series

The Diplomat (Peter Akerman and Debora Cahn for “Amagansett”)

The Pitt (Kirsten Pierre-Geyfman & R. Scott Gemmill for “1:00 PM”)

The Pitt (Valerie Chu for “12:00 PM”)

Mickey Down and Konrad Kay for “Dear Henry,” Industry

Pluribus (Vince Gilligan for “We Is Us”)

Slow Horses (Will Smith for “Scars”)

Task (Brad Ingelsby for “A Still Small Voice”)

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series

Abbott Elementary (Quinta Brunson for “Team Building”)

The Chair Company (Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin for “Life goes by too f**king fast, it really does”)

The Comeback (Michael Patrick King and Lisa Kudrow for “Valerie Does It All”)

Hacks (Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky for “Hacks”)

Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat (Anthony King for “Mergers and Acquisitions”)

Widow’s Bay (Katie Dippold for “Welcome to Widow’s Bay”)

Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

All Her Fault (Megan Gallagher for “Episode 8”)

The Beast in Me (Gabe Rotter and Daniel Pearle for “Sick Puppy”)

Beef (Lee Sung Jin for “All the Things We’re Never Gonna Have”)

DTF St. Louis (Steven Conrad)

Death by Lightning (Mike Makowsky)

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series

The Gilded Age (Salli Richardson-Whitfield for “My Mind Is Made Up”)

Paradise (Hanelle M. Culpepper for “Exodus”)

The Pitt (Noah Wyle for “12:00 PM”)

Pluribus (Vince Gilligan for “We Is Us”)

Slow Horses (Saul Metzstein for “Scars”)

Task (Salli Richardson-Whitfield for “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a river”)

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series

Abbott Elementary (Randall Einhorn for “Ballgame”)

The Bear (Christopher Storer for “Bears”)

The Chair Company (Andrew DeYoung for “Life goes by too f**king fast, it really does”)

Hacks (Lucia Aniello for “Hacks”)

The Ms. Pat Show (Mary Lou Belli for “Give It Arrest”)

Widow’s Bay (Hiro Murai for “Welcome to Widow’s Bay”)

Flight LS1413 was travelling from London Stansted to Bulgaria when it was diverted

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A Jet2 flight was forced to divert following a medical emergency that disrupted its journey. The aircraft had departed London Stansted bound for Burgas in Bulgaria.

However, Flight LS1413 was redirected to Germany on Monday (September 14) afternoon due to a “medical incident on board”, Jet2 confirmed.

The aircraft touched down at Frankfurt Airport at 5.43pm local time. During the stopover, the plane refuelled before departing for its original destination, according to The Mirror.

The Airbus A321 arrived at Burgas at 10.27pm local time (8.27pm BST) – roughly one hour and 45 minutes behind its planned arrival time of 8.40pm local time.

On its website, Jet2 stated: “Due to a medical incident on board, we wanted to let you know that flight LS1413 London Stansted to Bourgas will need to make a fuel stop in Frankfurt.”

“Once the plane has refuelled, it will then continue to Bourgas Airport. This is an unscheduled change, so we’re doing everything we can to minimise any disruption to your onward journey.

“Thanks in advance for your understanding and patience during this time – we’ll have you on your way as quickly as we can.”

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Vigil aired its explosive finale on Monday night as series three came to an end

Vigil viewers were all quick to make the same demand on Monday as series three came to an end.

The hit BBC detective drama sees Suranne Jones as DCI Amy Silva and Rose Leslie as DI Kirsten Longacre. Series three has seen the murder of a British citizen in the Arctic, leading to DCI Amy Silva and DI Kirsten Longacre investigating the case.

It wasn’t long until Amy looked into a possible conspiracy on Scottish soil while Kirsten came up against uncooperative Russian inhabitants, who claimed foul play and obstructed her at every turn. As expected with Vigil, soon many twists came about, including the discovery of a missing person…

After five episodes full of suspense, Monday night saw the series finale as Amy and Kirsten returned to Scotland, only for danger to follow them there.

Meanwhile, Amy found herself on the wrong side of the law, and Kirsten put herself in danger to keep Amy safe and to get to the truth while under immense political pressure and personal jeopardy. The duo were faced with the hardest choice of their careers yet…

After Sir Ian Downing was arrested and politician Gordon Laity, Shen Jia was finally safe and able to share her research with the world. However, it was heartbreaking news for Amy as she faced severe action for refusing to hand Shen Jia over to the authorities.

Speaking to her boss, Amy asked: “Are you going to arrest me now?” to which he responded: “No, I don’t think there’ll be an appetite to bring charges… provided…”

With Amy answering: “Provided I resign?” to which her boss emotionally confirmed her question, saying he doesn’t like the idea but he doesn’t want to see her in prison either.

Amy then declared: “It’s been a privilege to work with you, sir” as she shook his hand. Meanwhile, emotional partner Kirsten said: “A wise colleague of mine once told me to never make this job personal” to which Amy insisted she has no regrets before walking off hand-in-hand with Kirsten.

Following the finale, viewers were quick to take to Twitter, now X, to share their thoughts, demanding a series four. One person said: “brilliant series enjoyed every episode more please #Vigil.”

A different account wrote: “End of the series. A fantastic series! #Vigil” while another fan put: “#vigil What a brilliant series.”

Elsewhere, another show watcher commented: “Vigil with the wildly talented Suranne Jones is a terrific tension filled mystery. The gripping drama, Line of Duty meets 24 with a hint of Chain Reaction, is f***in awesome. Support includes Rose Leslie as Detective Inspector Kirsten Longacre. Season 4? #Vigil.”

Will there be a Vigil season 4?

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Only recently, creator Tom Edge teased whether viewers could see the duo return for a fourth series. Speaking exclusively to Radio Times, the writer said: “Regrettably, the world remains complicated and finds new ways to evolve towards instability, danger and the rest. So I don’t think we would ever find ourselves short of stories.”

He added: “I think certainly this time around, we put the show in a place where we feel that this arc across three seasons has been settled.

“I think we will see how it goes. But one of the pleasures of the show is it doesn’t feel like it is a show that has to return on an annual ticking clock basis. So I think we can leave it open, but certainly for this season, it felt like it was the culmination of a bunch of questions that we’ve asked across three seasons. I was happy to take it to that point.”

Vigil is available to watch on BBC iPlayer

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