Clearly, we'll have to read up on Stratemann of Brunswick, too, to find out whether he reports the "take charge of the (so far) youngest "story as well or whether Oster has it from another source. Also, like you so often said, Mildred: the envoys are where it's at! :)
More seriously, given AW gets Fritz' regiment toute suite that year and is made Colonel, and we have sunny letters to Dad which Ziebura quotes, I'm not sure what would have made FW temporarily rearrange his favourites children list. I mean, he was in a spectacularly bad mood for much of the year as well, as amply documented in the Fritzian context, so he may not have needed a reason, but it would still be very surprising, especially since Heinrich doesn't rate individual instructions to his stewards but is lumped under "the young princes" together with Ferdinand, and I'm sure that if Ziebura had found an FW remark especially about Heinrich indicating favor, she'd have quoted it, having gone through not just the published but the unpublished family correspondance at the state archive. Usually if you like a kid best, you talk about said kid. Not to mention that apparantly we have letters from Wilhelmine, from Fritz, from Charlotte and from AW to FW in the archive, all of which I've seen quoted, but not from child Heinrich. At a guess, if a letter from child!Wilhelmine survives in which she sends Dad her drawn tooth, a letter from temporary fave Heinrich would have been preserved as well, if such a letter had existed.
All this said: as long as they are babies and toddlers, the youngest children of a large family tend to be either neglected or spoiled, no? Maybe FW not getting along with his oldest kids at all in 1730 translated into liking the baby (until new baby Ferdinand was born) but not so much anymore once he grew older and developed a (suspiciously Fritz like) personality. That's always assuming the Brunswick envoy did report this, as opposed to Oster getting his info from Catt.
Magdeburgers: well, I seem to recall we have the two part FW biography in the library? I haven't braved that one yet, but it could be in there.
Re: Oster Wilhelmine readthrough - marriage negotiations
More seriously, given AW gets Fritz' regiment toute suite that year and is made Colonel, and we have sunny letters to Dad which Ziebura quotes, I'm not sure what would have made FW temporarily rearrange his favourites children list. I mean, he was in a spectacularly bad mood for much of the year as well, as amply documented in the Fritzian context, so he may not have needed a reason, but it would still be very surprising, especially since Heinrich doesn't rate individual instructions to his stewards but is lumped under "the young princes" together with Ferdinand, and I'm sure that if Ziebura had found an FW remark especially about Heinrich indicating favor, she'd have quoted it, having gone through not just the published but the unpublished family correspondance at the state archive. Usually if you like a kid best, you talk about said kid. Not to mention that apparantly we have letters from Wilhelmine, from Fritz, from Charlotte and from AW to FW in the archive, all of which I've seen quoted, but not from child Heinrich. At a guess, if a letter from child!Wilhelmine survives in which she sends Dad her drawn tooth, a letter from temporary fave Heinrich would have been preserved as well, if such a letter had existed.
All this said: as long as they are babies and toddlers, the youngest children of a large family tend to be either neglected or spoiled, no? Maybe FW not getting along with his oldest kids at all in 1730 translated into liking the baby (until new baby Ferdinand was born) but not so much anymore once he grew older and developed a (suspiciously Fritz like) personality. That's always assuming the Brunswick envoy did report this, as opposed to Oster getting his info from Catt.
Magdeburgers: well, I seem to recall we have the two part FW biography in the library? I haven't braved that one yet, but it could be in there.