What is ahead for Prince Andrew after Queen’s death?
The Duke of York’s isolation from the working monarchy seems permanent as the Mother dies.
Charles is now king and any decision about his brother Andrew, disgraced after paying millions in a civil sexual assault lawsuit, will fall to him. His eldest son and heir, the Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge, will likely advise him.
Robert Jobson said that William cut off touch with his uncle, unlike Charles. A insider informed Jobson, “If the Duke of Cambridge has any input, there will be no public role or comeback for York.”
“He should be banished, as far as Prince William is concerned.”
Now that the monarch has died, Andrew’s place in the family remains. The duke joined Charles, the Princess Royal, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, and Camilla, Queen Consort, at his mother’s bedside on Thursday. William drove the Range Rover with Andrew, Edward, and Sophie in the back. Charles must decide whether to fund his brother’s lifestyle like the Queen.
Andrew got a salary from the Queen’s £21m Duchy of Lancaster revenue. Charles controls the Duchy’s assets because they belong to the king.
Andrew’s home, Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, a Crown Estate property, also houses Sarah, Duchess of York. The duke signed a 75-year lease on the mansion in 2003, but he might get millions for renovation charges if he gives it up.
Andrew may also face efforts to be deprived of his dukedom and cut off from York. But peerages can only be abolished by an act of parliament, albeit hereditary peerages can be renounced in rare situations.
The duke is still the heir. If a monarch can not perform their duties temporarily due to illness or travel, two or more Counsellors of State are appointed by Letters Patent. The position is taken up by Camilla, now Queen, and the following four adults in succession, William, Harry, Andrew, and Princess Beatrice.
The arrangements can only be modified by law, but Camilla and Beatrice’s addition may make that less probable. Andrew will attend the Queen’s funeral and may process behind her casket and stand vigil with his siblings while it lies in state.
He will presumably deliver an on-camera homage to the Queen, as he did for his father, the Duke of Edinburgh. But Charles and William want Andrew’s public appearances to halt after the Queen’s funeral. At Philip’s memorial ceremony in Westminster Abbey in March 2022, pundits were shocked by his prominent position after his public controversies. As Andrew walked with his mother, the Queen clutched onto his elbow as she sat down.
Even the Queen’s nephew, the Earl of Snowdon, looked to double-take. Princess Beatrice burst into tears, but it was unclear if she was moved by her elderly grandma or her father’s high role.
The pre-printed Order of Service revealed Andrew was supposed to come with his daughters, but he ended up in the Queen’s car. Even when plans changed, Andrew was to walk behind the Queen and the Dean of Westminster.
This led to rumours the duke strong-armed his mother into letting him take centre stage and she could not say no to her favourite son. Just weeks prior, the duke paid millions out of court to Virginia Giuffre, a woman he said he would never met. She was suing him for allegedly sexually assaulting her when she was 17 and trafficked by wealthy paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew had already stepped away from public roles after his catastrophic 2019 Newsnight appearance, in which he failed to demonstrate sorrow for his association with Epstein or concern for his victims. In January 2022, at the insistence of William and Charles, the Queen stripped her second son of his honorary military titles and forbade him from using his hereditary HRH style.
Andrew lost his crown. But his presence at his father’s memorial service indicated that he was welcome at family events, including important broadcast ones, according to the Queen. This reportedly dismayed Charles and William, and there was anxiety that Andrew was trying to return to national life, especially at the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. He stayed behind locked doors for Jubilee after contracting Covid.
His ambition to join the public Garter Day parade in 2022 was stymied when Charles and William persuaded the Queen, insisting he only attend the private service and lunch. Andrew’s mother was a strong supporter, but with her death, he may remain in the royal wilderness.