Outside the gates of Buckingham Palace, the light remains as warm as ever after the anniversary. And the crowds that thronged the streets of Windsor yesterday to catch a glimpse of the royals draped in velvet robes and feathered hats at the annual garter ceremony was a testament to that enthusiasm.
But inside the palace walls, the mood is cooler. No sooner has a stubborn problem – the Harry and Meghan soap opera – faded on the horizon in distant California than hostility unfolds on another all-too-familiar front.
And it’s the Prince Andrew saga, not to mention its remarkable lack of humility, that threatens the long-term well-being of the monarchy far more than the incessant bleating of the dollar-soaked Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Extraordinarily, Andrew seemed to think his appearance with the royal family at Windsor would be a springboard back into public life. It was only thanks to the combined efforts of his brother Prince Charles and nephew Prince William, realizing what damaging publicity this could generate, that the Duke of York was effectively prevented from taking his place among the assembled knights.
In fact, yesterday it was claimed William was so alarmed at the prospect of his disgraced uncle attending the ceremony – at which the former Prime Minister and Duchess of Cornwall were inducted into the nation’s oldest chivalric order – that he warned he might himself withdraw yourself.
That such an action could even be considered underscores the tension at the heart of the royal family over Andrew’s planned comeback.
Prince Andrew, pictured at the Order of the Garter ceremony in 2019, is reportedly trying to return to the fold of royal life
But even more unbelievable is the notion that Andrew could be so lacking in self-esteem that he believed such a move, which allegedly included his demand for his royal status as Blood Prince to be restored, would be acceptable.
However, in the event that William and Charles’ intervention resulted in the Duke withdrawing from the colorful procession of the Knights of the Garter and the service, he did attend elements of the ceremony, including the investiture and the traditional luncheon.
The decision must have been made in the 11th hour, because Andrew’s name as a participant was in the regulations. Palace insiders described the Duke’s withdrawal from the public portion of the Garter events as a “family decision”.
So what on earth is going on? After all, it’s only been five months since Andrew had all his military titles and patronage stripped and he was forced to abandon his HRH style after a judge in the US denied his request to try a sex abuse case out of court.
A month later he paid an estimated £12million to settle the civil suit of Virginia Giuffre, who claimed the prince had sex with her when she was 17 after she was trafficked by his boyfriend, billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Extraordinarily, Andrew seemed to think his appearance with the royal family at Windsor would be a springboard back into public life
Andrew, who denied her claims, said he will demonstrate his regret at his association with Epstein by “supporting the fight against the evils of the sex trade”.
Incidentally, this is the regret he didn’t show when he was first invited to demonstrate it in his infamous Newsnight interview. In fact, he told the BBC’s Emily Maitlis that he had no regrets about befriending Epstein because the “opportunities I was given to learn… were actually very beneficial.”
For such an immensely proud man, second in line to the throne for the first 22 years of his life, it was a very public humiliation and a spectacular fall from grace.
His ignominy has been compared to that of John Profumo, whose lie to the House of Commons about an affair with a prostitute shook post-war Britain. Profumo lost the Right Honorable prefix when his name was removed from the Privy Council, and at the age of 48 his life and career lay in tatters.
As Lord Denning, the judge investigating the scandal, concluded of the then Secretary of War: “His disgrace was complete.” But that’s where the resemblance to Prince Andrew ends. For the next 43 years – until his death from a stroke at the age of 91 – Profumo devoted his life to helping the poor and disadvantaged, so by the end of his life his reputation was restored.
Though Prince Charles is unwilling to confront Andrew directly, he has made it clear that he believes there is no turning back for his brother. William, more attuned to public opinion than his father, shares this view
From Andrew, however, there was no sign of repentance, no attempt to throw himself into humble charity work, and thus no hope of salvation.
But at the time, friends of the prince spoke optimistically that Andrew had found a target similar to Profumo, who started his new life washing up in the kitchen at charity Toynbee Hall in London’s East End and telling everyone to ‘Jack’ him. to name. .
Andrew, it has been suggested, could capitalize on his involvement with a charity like the Outward Bound Trust, although even friends said he would never invite anyone “to call me Andy”. At 62, they argued, he had time to rebuild his life away from the public eye.
Instead, with his departure from the royal world still fresh in his mind, he is trying to find a way back to her life of privilege and prestige as soon as possible.
The Duke is aware that time is of the essence for his future and a return to the public limelight is only possible with the Queen’s express consent
Prince Andrew has one trump card: his closeness to the Queen (pictured). His status as a royal favorite has served him well for years
Though Prince Charles is unwilling to confront Andrew directly, he has made it clear that he believes there is no turning back for his brother. William, more attuned to public opinion than his father, shares this view. There was also a very real fear that Andrew’s presence at the parade would result in some of the crowd being booed – instead Tony Blair was shown the disrespect.
But Andrew has one trump card: his closeness to the Queen. His status as a royal favorite has served him well for years.
Living at the Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park has ensured that he is the Queen’s most frequent visitor to Windsor Castle.
“He always drops everything when his mom needs something,” says a source. “During the Covid pandemic and particularly following the death of Prince Philip, he was encouraged by his brothers and sister to be available for the Queen.”
This must have given him an opportunity to push for a return to royal service. He remains a Councilor of State and remains ninth in line to the throne. He frequently tells friends that despite the great settlement with Miss Giuffre, he has not been found guilty of any crime. And he sees no reason why his esteemed colonel in the Grenadier Guards – one he inherited from his father – should not be returned to him. While riding, he continues to wear a jacket with the Grenadiers’ motto – “Shame on him who thinks ill of it”.
While the Queen was sympathetic to Andrew’s predicament, she backed Charles and William’s ruling on both the Jubilee, in which the Duke originally played a limited role – only for it to be cut short when he signed Covid – and the Garter ceremony
Prince Andrew (left) paid an estimated £12million to settle the civil suit of Virginia Giuffre (centre), who claimed the prince had sex with her when she was 17
But Andrew is agitating for a return. And he knows that his special advantage in the form of his relationship with the queen cannot last forever.
For years, the “Andrew problem” has dominated discussions within the royal family. Indeed, up until Prince Harry and Meghan’s publicity-hungry exile to America, the Duke of York was a constant center of family attention.
Things first came to a head in 2001 when Andrew, unwilling to remain a junior officer – and unlikely to achieve serious promotion – gave up his career in the Royal Navy.
(It had included a notable stint as a helicopter pilot 40 years earlier during the Falklands War, flying dangerous decoy missions to lure Argentine missiles away from the Task Force fleet.)
Aides-de-camp desperately sought a position where he could be safely deported without risk of damaging the royal hallmark. His ability to put his foot in it made courtiers nervous. Prince Charles, who always liked a younger brother who didn’t receive any of the glamorous perks he was bestowed upon as heir to the throne, wanted him to join his staff. That way he could not only keep track of him, but also give Andrew a meaningful role.
Andrew had none of it. Instead, the Queen’s staunch cousin, the Duke of Kent, conveniently retired from his role as British trade envoy and allowed Andrew to take the post.
It was a disastrous appointment, and a decade later, after making questionable friendships in international business circles and being accused by diplomatic cables of being uncouth, cocky and headstrong, he resigned.
For more than a decade, his life drifted as the grotesque Epstein story — and his connection to it — slowly spiraled out of control.
Now out of favor, the Andrew question remains as problematic as ever.
So what’s the solution? There is talk of a move to Scotland, but hiding on the Balmoral Estate is not a long-term plan.
One discussion, I am told, was whether, over time, he could learn property management and become the ‘Factor’ or manager of Balmoral.
But he is reluctant to leave his Windsor home and his grandchildren are young and he wants to be a part of their lives.
He’s also still concerned for his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie, who are the only Queen’s blood princesses with HRH titles to have working royal roles.
“The problem with Andrew is that he never got over the fact that he was once second in line,” says a consultant. “And now he’s not.”