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Analysis
Prince Andrew unlikely to resume royal duties
under King Charles
Caroline
Davies
Queen’s second son has adopted a more visible role in
the past few days, but that will end with her state funeral
Mon 12 Sep
2022 14.38 BST
During the
funereal pomp of the Queen’s farewell, her four grieving children will be a
sombre cynosure at the five ceremonial events. But one will, rather awkwardly,
stand out.
As his
siblings the King, Princess Royal and Earl of Wessex wear military uniform, the
Duke of York will be in civvies.
Only during
the final vigil at Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin in Westminster Hall will Prince
Andrew, 62, be permitted to wear uniform, a dispensation granted as a special
mark of respect for Her Majesty the Queen.
It is
proof, if it were needed, that nothing much will probably change for Andrew now
his brother Charles is King. He remains stripped of his military patronages and
use of the HRH title.
As the
Queen’s son, he has adopted a visible role, thanking well-wishers at Balmoral
Castle. He will be present, alongside the rest of the family, during the leadup
to and including her state funeral. It would be out of the question for him not
to be involved, especially as the royal family has been keen to present a
united front at this time. But as for any public role thereafter, it seems
likely he will remain excluded.
“I think
that he will remain very much in the background. There is no way he is going to
resume royal duties. So, you could say his retirement continues,” said Joe
Little, the managing editor of Majesty magazine. “There is no hope, I would
suggest, of him returning to the working royal-fold anytime soon.”
Since his
fall from grace over his friendship with deceased financier and convicted sex
offender Jeffrey Epstein, and his out of court settlement in a civil case
brought by Virginia Giuffre, Andrew has disappeared from public life.
Even before
the Epstein controversy, Charles had indicated he wished for a much slimmed
down monarchy under his reign. Andrew was not believed to be part of that, nor
his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
But, with
the departure of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as working royals, “the
slimming down has gone a lot further than anticipated”, said Little. “That
wasn’t part of the masterplan.”
Despite
this, the public mood still seems so set against Andrew that King Charles, even
if he wanted to, would be unwise to attempt any rehabilitation of his brother.
The Queen
continued throughout her second son’s travails to indicate her support for him.
Notably, she leaned on him during the Duke of Edinburgh’s memorial service.
But, she has now gone.
Andrew has
acquired one new, familial, role, however. His spokesperson announced on Sunday
that he and his former wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, would become keepers of
the Queen’s corgis and dorgi. They will take on Muick and Sandy, two young
corgis that Andrew and his daughters gave to the Queen as a present in 2021, as
well as her dorgi – dachshund-corgi cross – named Candy.
As for
Royal Lodge, the former home of the Queen Mother on the Windsor estate that
Andrew and the Duchess of York still share, there has been speculation he may
be asked to vacate it.
“He has a
lease on Royal Lodge from the crown estate, so I think he is secure unless he
wishes to relinquish the lease,” said Little. “If the worst came to the worst,
I suppose Charles could [ask him to leave]. But I think he is relatively
secure.”
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What Lies in Store for Andrew During Reign of King
Charles III?
King Charles III will have to decide whether to fund
his brother's lifestyle, as the Queen did.
THE PRESS
ASSOCIATION (Laura Elston, PA Court Reporter)
9 September
2022 at 03:46 CEST
With the
death of the Queen, the Duke of York's exile from the working monarchy looks
certain to be permanent.
Charles is
now the new King and any decision about Andrew, disgraced after paying out
millions over a civil sexual assault case, will fall to him, no doubt in
consultation with his eldest son and heir, the Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge.
Royal
author Robert Jobson wrote that William had, unlike Charles, cut off all
contact with his uncle.
"There
will be no public role or comeback for York, if the Duke of Cambridge has any
input on the matter - and let me assure you, he does," a source told
Jobson.
"He
should be banished, as far as Prince William is concerned."
But
Andrew's place in the family remains as the royals grieve for their matriarch.
The duke
rushed to his mother's bedside at Balmoral on Thursday, joining Charles, the
Princess Royal, the Earl and Countess of Wessex and Camilla, now Queen.
It was
William who drove Andrew, who sat in the front passenger seat, with Edward and
Sophie in the back, to the Queen's Scottish home after their RAF flight landed
in Aberdeen,
Charles
will have to decide whether to fund his brother's lifestyle, as the Queen did.
Andrew is
believed to have received an annual salary from the Queen's £21 million a year
private Duchy of Lancaster income.
The Duchy's
assets are held in trust for the sovereign, so are now under Charles's control.
Questions
will also be raised about Andrew's home, Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park,
which is a Crown Estate property, and also houses his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of
York.
The duke
signed a 75-year lease on the mansion in 2003, but could potentially receive
millions in compensation for refurbishment costs he carried out if he gives up
the 31-bedroom home.
There are
also likely to be further calls for Andrew to be stripped of his dukedom,
severing his connection to the city of York.
But
peerages can only be removed by an act of parliament -
although
there are also limited circumstances in which hereditary peerages can be renounced
by the holder.
Andrew also
remains in the line of succession, and is still a Counsellor of State.
In the
event a monarch cannot undertake their official duties as sovereign on a
temporary basis due to illness or absence abroad, two or more Counsellors of
State are appointed by Letters Patent to act in their place.
The role is
undertaken by any spouse of the monarch, Camilla, now Queen, and the next four
adults in the line of succession, currently William, Harry, Andrew and the
newly added Princess Beatrice.
The
arrangements can only be changed with legislation, but the fresh inclusion of
Camilla and Beatrice could mean it is less likely this route is explored.
Andrew,
grieving for his mother, will make an appearance at the Queen's funeral, and is
likely to process behind her coffin and join a vigil around it with his
siblings while it lies in state.
He is
likely to want to pay a public on-camera tribute to the Queen, just as he did
for his father, the Duke of Edinburgh.
But Charles
and William are expected to want the aftermath of the Queen's funeral to signal
the end of Andrew's public appearances.
The scenes
in Westminster Abbey in March 2022 at Philip's memorial service left
commentators aghast at the duke's prominent role after his public
controversies.
As Andrew
walked alongside his mother, the Queen held on to his elbow for support as she
moved carefully and slowly to her seat.
Even the
Earl of Snowdon, the Queen's nephew, appeared to do a double take as he turned
to look.
Princess
Beatrice burst into tears and it was unclear whether it was the sight of her
now frail grandmother or her father restored to such an elevated duty that left
her overcome with emotion.
The
pre-printed Order of Service showed Andrew had actually been due to arrive with
his daughters, but he ended up accompanying the Queen in her car to the Abbey.
Even as the
arrangements altered, the last-minute plan had been for Andrew to walk behind
the Queen, who would be accompanied by the Dean of Westminster.
This led to
claims the duke had strong-armed his mother into letting him take centre stage
and that she could not say no to her so-called favourite son.
Just weeks
before, the duke had paid millions out of court to Virginia Giuffre, a woman he
claimed had never met, who was suing him for allegedly sexually assaulting her
when she was 17 and had been trafficked by billionaire paedophile Jeffrey
Epstein.
Andrew had
already stepped down from public duties after his disastrous Newsnight
interview in 2019, in which he failed to show remorse for his friendship with
Epstein and display any sympathy for the financier's victims.
As Ms
Giuffre's lawsuit gathered pace, the Queen finally moved, at the urging of
William and Charles, to strip her second son in January 2022 of his honorary
military titles and forbid him from using his birthright HRH style.
Andrew had
been booted out of the monarchy.
But his key
role at his father's memorial service showed that at family occasions, even
major televised ones, he was, as far as the Queen was concerned, welcome.
This was
said to be met with dismay from Charles and William, and there was concern that
Andrew was moving to wrangle a return to national life, particularly at the
Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
He stayed
behind closed doors for the Jubilee in the end, having contracted Covid.
His bid to
join the public royal procession on Garter Day soon after in 2022 was scuppered
when Charles and William lobbied the Queen, insisting he only attended the
private service and lunch.
The Queen
was a staunch supporter of her son, but with the loss of his mother, Andrew
looks set to remain in the royal wilderness.
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