by Enrica Roddolo
The king is said to have brought his brother to tears by telling him he would never return to participate in Windsor public life. He won’t be at the Cenotaph in a week
Moved to tears, heartbroken. Prince Andrew would have responded to the words of his older brother Charles on the eve of the Queen’s death, announcing his “exile” from public life. Forever. A departure that seemed inevitable immediately since last February, when Andrea was rumored to have reached a salty £12million settlement with Virginia Giuffre’s lawyers (over the allegations against the prince in the Giuffre/Epstein case).
But what Andrea had always hoped in his heart could be undone. Helped by the fact that on several occasions Elizabeth had prioritized her affection as a mother over the rigor of the role of sovereign. At the Philip’s memorial mass in March, it was Andrew who even led Elizabeth into the nave of Westminster Abbey and escorted her from Windsor Castle. But everything changed with the Queen’s death for Elizabeth’s favorite son. And from the earliest hours of preparations for the Queen’s funeral, the Duke – again according to a source in the Mail on Sunday – was once again brought to tears by Charles when he announced he would not be able to wear his military uniform. King Charles and also the new Prince of Wales, William, although allowing Andrew to attend the Queen’s formal funeral in September, had made it immediately clear that the matter would be dealt with in the most drastic way.
Interviewed by Corriere days ago, Tina Brown, former director of Tatler and New Yorker and signatory to the bestseller on Diana and the Royal Family, had in fact already answered the question of whether Prince Andrew would ever be able to “return to service.” the company, he had replied: “We will never go back, say ‘on duty’ for the Crown, also because William is very hard on him”.
His nephew William’s steadfastness is coupled with Charles’ determination to protect the crown from Prince Andrew’s personal life. So much so that, as the British historian Hugo Vickers, who was closest to the Windsors, explained to us, the first thorns Carlo had to face were precisely the future roles of Andrea and Harry. “The Queen has tied many new threads before the end: she blessed Camilla as the Queen’s future consort … but in truth there are still a few questions to be resolved: the fate of Andrew, his residence at, for example, the Royal Lodge in Windsor Park and Harry’s future.
Yes, and if Carlo repeatedly tried to get closer to his son with invitations to eat (rejected) during the days of the funeral, Andrea’s position seemed immediately clear to the king. The shadow of the allegations leveled at the prince, which have never been confirmed because they were resolved with an economic deal between the parties concerned, is a veil that cannot cloud the transparency of the monarchy, the Windsors and the king.
And now the next step will also be defining the fate of Royal Lodge, the Windsor Park residence where Prince Andrew has always lived (and shares it with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson). And finally also the fate (the work) of the daughters of the Duke of York. Will there be room for them in the streamlined monarchy Charles has in mind? They are certainly not part of the front line of royals destined to fund themselves with royal engagements.
The timing of Andrea’s indiscretion tears and Carlo’s determination? It is no coincidence: the day of Remembrance Sunday is approaching, the date that marks the most important moment in the actual agenda before Christmas. The memorial to the fallen at the London Cenotaph. And Andrea, no longer royal, deprived of the opportunity to appear in public, therefore, will not exist. No wonder, then, that for the first time in a week, the spotlight can focus on Karl in his capacity as King at the Cenotaph. And not as Queen-commissioned as in recent years with the all-too-fragile Sovereign. Second, Andrew’s tears and the King’s steadfastness also send a message of integrity from the Crown. Vitale to bring the Windsors into the future.
November 7, 2022 (Change November 7, 2022 | 11:10 am)
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