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Prince Andrew was brutally cut from all publicly accessible elements of a key royal ceremony on Monday after senior family members rebelled against the Queen and demanded not be obliged to appear in public alongside him.
Andrew’s side tried to characterize his exit from a public event known as the Order of the Garter Procession as his “personal decision,” but a well-placed Palace source told The Daily Beast that the move to tax Andrew was a ” family decision”.
The last-minute nature of the palace’s dramatic about-face is vividly illustrated by the fact that the already printed official program will list Andrew as a participant in the procession.
The Queen will not be attending the procession due to her ongoing mobility issues, but will be attending the private lunch, which Andrew will continue to be a guest at. One wonders which lucky person will be sitting next to him.
The Daily Beast understands that Prince Charles was the most important of those who made representations to the Queen, urging Andrew not to be part of the procession. The Queen was keen to include Andrew in the procession, and Charles’ victory in this battle of wills is likely to be seen as another sign that the Queen is losing her authority over the family and that Charles is stepping, informally at least, into a quasi-regent role .
Today’s procession, followed by a service and lunch with the Queen at Windsor Castle, is a formal part of Garter Day, which honors members of Britain’s most prestigious chivalric order, the Order of the Garter.
Garter members include former prime ministers and other high-level establishment insiders. Membership is strictly limited to 24 and Tony Blair is the newest member. It is the highest award in the British patronage system.
Andrew is a member of the club by personal gift from the Queen and as such the Palace had tried to argue that Andrew attended in a personal rather than an official capacity.
However, it’s understood this hasn’t cut any ice with other royals any more than it has with the public. It is believed that Charles, who began campaigning for his brother’s reduced role over a decade ago long before his association with Jeffrey Epstein became a mainstay of royal family coverage, was particularly concerned that the event was becoming a re-run of Prince Philip’s Memorial, as coverage of Andrew escorting his mother to her seat by the arm completely overshadowed the day’s proceedings.
However, with parts of the procession of the Order of the Garter taking place before the public in Windsor, there were very real fears that Andrew might be booed. Charles has likely drawn the line at the risk of exposing one of the most respected institutions in the royal establishment to such contempt.
The compromise he appears to have been forced into, however, is that Andrew is allowed to attend the non-public elements of Garter Day, such as Monday luncheon, and wear the society’s ermine robes to the event.
Andrew’s determination to participate comes on the heels of a report he was lobbying the Queen to reinstate him as Colonel in the Grenadier Guards, a role he lost along with his HRH styling in January as the Giuffre case heated up.
The Daily Telegraph quoted a source as saying: “Colonel in the Grenadier Guards was his most coveted title and he wants it back. Having remained Councilor of State, he also believes he should be present at royal and state events.
“Most important to him is his status as HRH and Prince of the Blood, and he believes it should be restored and his position recognized and respected.”