Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor: From closest male friend of William's mother to royal pariah

"It's too easy to criticise a man when he's out of favour."

This quote attributed to Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy fits into former Prince Andrew's current situation.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's knack for controversies might have brought down the House of York, but Andrew was once a brave soldier and a much-loved member of the royal family.

In fact, Andrew, often dubbed the favorite son of the late Queen Elizabeth II, was the late Princess Diana's closest male friend until her romance with his eldest brother, currently King Charles III, started.

In his 1993 book "Diana Vs Charles", author James Whitaker, wrote about the then Princess of Wales's childhood connection with Andrew and how the late Queen Elizabeth II adored them.

Quoting Diana's nanny Janet Thompson, the author wrote about a heartwarming   occasion at Sandringham House in the mid-60s  "when the five-year-old Diana was to be found playing with the six-year-old Prince Andrew and a grown-up."

He wrote, "Diana's nanny Janet Thompson recalled walking into a drawing room after hearing a voice urgently calling out "Where are you?, only to discover the Queen playing hide-and-seek with her son and his guest (Diana)."

Interestingly, the same Diana's son, Prince William, was said to be the driving force behind his father's recent decision to strip Andrew of his remaining royal titles and evict him from Royal Lodge.

The action against the former Duke of York was initiated over his links to former sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Ironically, after his departure from Royal Lodge, he is expected to move to the very Sandringham where he was seen playing hide-and-seek with William's mother.