This is Actually the Queen's Favorite Child, Claims Royal Author

We all know parents aren't supposed to have favorite children—but apparently Queen Elizabeth II secretly prefers one of her offspring, and it's probably not the most obvious choice, either. Let's look at who the golden child might be.

The Queen has four children with late husband Prince Philip: Prince Charles, 73, Princess Anne, 71, Prince Andrew, 62, and Prince Edward, 58. "If I am asked what I think about family life after 25 years of marriage, I can answer with equal simplicity and conviction, I am for it," Queen Elizabeth said in a speech in 1972. But which of the children is her favorite?

The Queen has stood by all her children, but had to finally remove Prince Andrew from his royal duties after seemingly never ending scandals. "Andrew has always been a dim bulb and something of an oaf, let's face it," former Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown told 60 Minutes Australia. "Andrew has been canceled essentially. I mean you couldn't be more canceled than Andrew right? He's been told, 'you're done'. The queen has a very, very soft spot for Andrew. She has found his conduct—I'm sure—distressing but, you know, a mother is a mother and you cannot tell a mother what to feel about her children." Soft spot, yes, but favorite? Unlikely. Read on.

Queen Elizabeth was famously absent for much of Charles' early childhood, royal experts have revealed. "[Queen Elizabeth] loved her first and second born but in the early years of her reign focused on her duty as a sovereign to the exclusion of much else," writes Catherine Mayer in her biography Charles: the Heart of a King. "What he never learned to do is wear a mask as his mother does. She gives little away and with her husband has created a family culture that prizes restraint and approves of stoicism." So, it's not Charles or Andrew, according to the Royal expert. What about Anne and Edward?

Queen Elizabeth's relationship with her daughter is said be very close and caring, and Princess Anne has denied reports the Queen was distant towards her young children. "I simply don't believe that there is any evidence whatsoever to suggest that she wasn't caring," Anne told the BBC. "It just beggars belief… I don't believe any of us for a second thought she didn't care for us in exactly the same way as any other mother did. I just think it extraordinary that anybody could construe that that might not be true." So is the only daughter the favorite? Surprisingly, no, according to the Royal expert. Which leaves…

And the winner is… Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, youngest son of the Queen and Prince Philip. "Prince Edward, seemingly a bit wet and a tad irritating to the rest of us, was always his parents' favorite," says royal author Matthew Dennison. "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. To the surprise of some, Prince Philip 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." 

RELATED: Queen Showed Off "Harsh Side" to Beloved Aide After "Unforgivable Betrayal," Says Report

Edward is the only one of his siblings NOT to get divorced—he married Sophie Rhys-Jones in June of 1999 in a very low-key ceremony at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. They have two children—Lady Louise Windsor, 18, and James, Viscount Severn, 14. "Edward has molded into a quiet and efficient figure who does not seek attention or acquire headlines. He and Sophie are liked for being dutiful and uncomplaining," a royal insider told Express. No wonder he's the reported favorite!