Senior royals, including his mother, Prince Charles, and Prince William, have barred Prince Andrew from attending today’s Order of the Garter ceremony, as the Queen returns to her duties of knighting Tony Blair.
The Duke of York’s absence from the Windsor Castle procession and ceremony was a ‘family decision,’ according to Buckingham Palace, amid worries of booing over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein and alleged abuse of one of his’sex slaves.’
According to a royal insider, Andrew’s exclusion from the public aspects of today’s Garter Day was a ‘family decision.’ ‘The Duke of York will attend the investiture and lunch today but will not be part of the procession or service,’ a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said.
He will, however, be permitted to accompany the Queen to the formal investiture of new members of the Order of the Garter, which will include the Duchess of Cornwall and former Prime Minister Tony Blair, as well as the lunch that follows.
Due to her persistent mobility issues, Her Majesty will also miss the parade and service, but she plans to attend the formal investiture of the new Garter knights, including Tony Blair and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.
It was reported that Andrew had campaigned for a return to royal duties, but that his older brother, Prince Charles, and nephew, Prince William, had asked the Queen not to give in to the disgraced royal.
He was reportedly told to stay out of sight ‘for his own good’ by Her Majesty.
Despite being a member of the historic order of chivalry, the Duke abruptly withdrew out of today’s Order of the Garter event last night, having missed the Jubilee celebrations a week earlier due to Covid.
According to The Sun, Charles and William were believed to have stopped Andrew from attending today’s Order of the Garter ceremony after persuading the Queen.
The prince bowed out of public elements of the yearly event at Windsor in a last-minute U-turn. He will still join the Queen and other members of the order for a private lunch.
Buckingham Palace had requested that Andrew attend the ceremony because the Queen had bestowed the honor on him in his personal capacity.
Behind the scenes, however, there was great worry about the disgraced prince strolling around in his robes in public.
There was also concern that he might be booed. The Queen is said to have instructed him to keep his face hidden and just attend the private parts of today’s celebration. His desire to represent her at Royal Ascot appears to have been shelved as well.
Despite this, he is still ninth in line to the throne and a Counsellor of State, which means he will take the Queen’s place if she becomes ill while Charles and William are away.
Prince Andrew is claimed to have daily contact with his mother and lives in the grounds of Windsor Castle.
The Queen asked him to attend her to Prince Philip’s burial ceremony at Westminster Abbey in March, just weeks after stripping him of his titles. He led his mother down the aisle in a highly symbolic occasion.
However, palace advisors – as well as his relatives – are reported to have been clear that the public outcry over his ties to Epstein meant he couldn’t participate in frontline royal tasks.
Despite his absence today, the Duke of Edinburgh believes he should be involved in other royal and state ceremonies, according to The Daily Telegraph.
According to a source, ‘the colonelcy of the Grenadier Guards was his most cherished rank, and he wants it back.’
‘As a Counsellor of State, he believes he should be invited to royal and state functions.’ His status as an HRH and ‘Prince of the Blood’ is most essential to him, and he believes it should be restored, as well as his position being recognized and acknowledged.’
Last night, the Palace and Andrew’s spokesman declined to comment on the allegations. However, one royal insider said that he should not expect to be welcomed back, whether he had asked or not.
The Duke could ‘lobby all he wanted, if indeed he has, but whether he would ever receive anything back is an entirely different matter,’ according to the insider.
The statement from January, in which he was relieved of his duties ‘with the Queen’s approval and agreement,’ still’speaks for itself,’ according to an adviser.
Prince Charles is thought to be among those who believe he should be kept at arm’s length in order to protect the British monarchy as a whole.
After his father, Prince Philip, retired from public life five years ago, Andrew was appointed Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, a position he is claimed to have cherished.
According to reports, he wanted to wear the rank’s formal uniform to the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral last year, prompting the decision that all royal men would wear civilian morning coats to avoid embarrassment.
The ‘Andrew problem,’ according to a royal insider, needs to be resolved. ‘Clearly, at some point soon, thought will have to be given as to how to support the Duke, as, [away] from the public gaze, he seeks slowly to rebuild his life in a different direction,’ another source told The Mail on Sunday.
There has been speculation that one option would be for the Duke to spend more time in Scotland, but a full-time move is unlikely.
‘Andrew should be ashamed of himself,’ said royal biographer Angela Levin.
‘His insistence on returning to duty was ludicrous. It was clear that he was unconcerned about the outcome of his court case.
‘He wasn’t found guilty, but my goodness, there’s a lot of filth around him.’
The allegations have been refuted by Prince Andrew.
The Queen has been in secret talks with the Duke of York and other senior members of the Royal Family about how they can help Prince Andrew rebuild his life ‘away from the public gaze,’ according to reports.
At Windsor Castle, the Queen has held family meetings to determine what role the Duke could play that would be acceptable to the public.
‘Clearly, at some point soon, consideration will have to be given as to how to support the Duke as he seeks to rebuild his life in a different direction away from the public gaze,’ said the senior Palace source.
While it is understood that Andrew is determined to keep his Royal Lodge estate, one option could be for him to rebuild his life in Scotland.
The Palace source added: ‘There is, of course, a real awareness and sensitivity to public feelings. There is also recognition that the task of starting to support him as he begins to rebuild his life will be the first step on a long road and one that should not be played out every day in the glare of the public spotlight.’
It comes as William and Kate are set to swap the hustle and bustle of London to take up residence in leafy Berkshire, according to reports.
It is claimed that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are set to move to a house on the Queen’s Windsor estate this summer – leaving behind Kensington Palace as their main residence.
According to The Sunday Times, the couple are set to take their son Prince George, 8, and daughter Princess Charlotte, 7, out of their current prep school in Battersea at the end of the school year.
George and Charlotte will then join their younger brother, Prince Louis, 4, at a new school in Berkshire in September, the paper reports.
William is set to turn 40 this week. The royal is reported to have joked privately that he is finding it ‘so daunting’.
The move will see William and Kate leave Kensington Palace, which has been their main residence since 2017.
The couple moved from their country home, Anmer Hall, in Norfolk, where they had previously spent much of their time.
However, according to The Sunday Times, the pair will retain their property at Kensington Palace as their London home despite moving to Berkshire. Their press team will remain in West London.
The couple will also retain Anmer Hall, which the paper reports they will continue to use ‘regularly’.
One friend reportedly told the paper that they plan to move there on a more permanent basis after their children are through ‘the school years’.
‘They absolutely love it up there, it’s their happy place,’ the friend is reported to have said.
The move to Windsor means the Cambridges will be near to the home of the Duchess’s parents, the Middletons, who live 45-minutes away by car in the village of Bucklebury.