Queen Elizabeth used a different birth method for Prince Edward after her experience with Prince Andrew. She reportedly used a risky and now discredited method for her first three children.
Queen Elizabeth Used A Risky Method To Deliver King Charles, Princess Anne And Prince Andrew, According To A New Book
Gyles Brandreth, a friend of Prince Philip, wrote a new book about the late Queen titled Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait. In the tome, he claimed that that the Queen used the "now-discredited method of twilight sleep" for her first three children — King Charles, Princess Anne and Prince Andrew.
However, her experience with the said method during her third delivery didn't go well. One of her ladies-in-waiting told Brandreth that the Queen suffered post-natal side-effects.
"'Dammerschlaf' was a form of childbirth pioneered in Germany in the early 20th century in which the administration of drugs (morphine and scopolamine) puts the patient into an amnesic state during labour. The mother remains semi-conscious but apparently pain-free and has no subsequent recollection of the experience. The baby is delivered by forceps," Brandreth wrote in an excerpt obtained by Daily Mail.
Prince Edward was the first in the Queen's brood to not use the said birthing method.
"The difficult aftermath of Andrew's birth may possibly have put the Queen off that delivery method for good," Brandreth added.
Queen Elizabeth Sweeter To Prince Andrew And Prince Edward Than King Charles, Princess Anne?
The Queen's treatment of her two youngest children — Prince Andrew and Prince Edward — was reportedly different compared to her two eldest — King Charles and Princess Anne.
According to Christopher Andersen in his book The King: The Life of Charles III, King Charles felt "unwanted" growing up due to the lack of affection from his parents.
"The Queen treated Andrew and Edward very differently than she did Charles and Anne," the author quoted the late Queen's cousin as saying. "She was very affectionate toward the two younger ones, especially Edward."
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A source echoed the same sentiment saying it was as if "a switch had gone off, and suddenly there she was a, a loving, caring, mum."
The insider speculated that her parenting changed by the time she and Prince Philip welcomed Prince Andrew because she was already well-adjusted to the throne. Also, her third child came 10 years after she and the Duke of Edinburgh welcomed their second child, the Princess Royal.
"Perhaps by that time she felt more comfortable in her role as Queen," the source said.
"Too late for Charles and Anne, sadly," the anonymous insider added.
Stay tuned for more news and updates about the royal family.
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