EXCLUSIVE: Why Andrew Windsor's Decision to Live His Life Teetotal Sent His Mother Queen Elizabeth Into Spiral of Worry For His Future
Andrew Windsor admitted he didn't have the 'head' for alcohol.
April 16 2026, Published 7:45 p.m. ET
The former Prince Andrew's lifelong decision to remain teetotal is said to have left Queen Elizabeth deeply concerned about his emotional maturity and vulnerability, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Andrew, 66, whose private life has come under renewed scrutiny following his arrest in February 2026 on suspicion of misconduct in public office linked to his long-standing friendship with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, is the subject of new revelations in Elizabeth II by royal author Robert Hardman.
Queen Elizabeth is said to have been left worried about her son Andrew's emotional maturity due to his lifelong refusal to drink.
The book paints a portrait of an ultra-entitled royal whose personal habits - including his refusal to drink alcohol – were seen by those close to the late monarch as indicative of deeper concerns about his development.
Elizabeth, who died in 2022 aged 96, is also said to have quietly worried about how her son's behavior might be perceived by others.
'I Haven't Got the Head for It'
The 66-year-old was described as an 'overgrown child' who rejected booze because he 'didn't like' the taste.
According to Hardman's account, Andrew's abstinence from alcohol was not viewed simply as a lifestyle choice but as part of a broader pattern that unsettled those around him and made them and his mother think he was an overgrown child.
A source told Hardman: "(Andrew) never drank alcohol and always stuck to room-temperature water."
The same insider added: "Fair enough, but I once asked him why, and he answered like a child: 'I tasted it once when I was a teenager, and I didn't like it' (he said.) That's why the Queen would always worry about him."
Another passage in the book states about Andrew: "He sometimes went to nightclubs, but he did not drink, he did not take drugs."
Andrew himself has previously addressed the issue, offering a straightforward explanation for his abstinence.
He has said about booze: "I haven't got the head for it."
Despite this, reports emerged in November 2025 that a crate of champagne had been delivered to Royal Lodge, his now-former residence, adding a layer of ambiguity to his public stance over drinking.
Royal author Robert Hardman's biography 'Elizabeth II' detailed a 'kinetic' physical altercation between Andrew and a senior aide.
Hardman's book suggests Elizabeth's concerns extended beyond Andrew's drinking habits to a broader sense of vulnerability.
The monarch is described as having been particularly sensitive to how her son's general demeanor might be interpreted, especially given his position within the royal family and the expectations attached to it.
Allegations of Palace Altercation and Ongoing Fallout
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King Charles reportedly pushed for Andrew's removal from the public eye after fresh Epstein files surfaced.
The biography also details more troubling allegations about Andrew's conduct within the royal household.
Hardman writes an altercation with Vice-Admiral Sir Tony Johnstone-Burt, one of Elizabeth's closest aides, escalated beyond verbal confrontation.
He writes it was "not just an outburst of expletives and a jab of a finger" between him and Andrew, but rather a "kinetic" blow landed on him by the royal in an incident said to have shocked those present.
The episode reportedly prompted Andrew's father, Prince Philip, who died in 2021 aged 99, to write a letter of apology.
Andrew's current circumstances have only intensified attention on his past.
Following his arrest on February 19, 2026, he has been living at Wood Farm on the Sandringham Estate after being evicted from Royal Lodge.
His absence from the royal family's Easter Sunday service at St George's Chapel in Windsor on 5 April was glaring.
King Charles is understood to have distanced himself from his brother, having stripped him of his titles in November 2025 following renewed scrutiny over his links to Epstein.
Meanwhile, Andrew's younger brother, Prince Edward, is reported to have visited him at Sandringham over Easter in what sources described as a private intervention regarding his future living arrangements.
