Prince Andrew is considered such an embarrassment to the Royal Family that Buckingham Palace insiders told the press this week that he should “do the decent thing” and voluntarily remove himself from public view over Christmas.
As soon as these experts’ opinions were published, the Duke of York said he would not join the rest of his family at Sandringham in the fallout from the so-called “Chinese spy” scandal.
His ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York, whose presence after a 30-year absence during the public walk from the church on Christmas Day had been considered so significant last year, would also stay away from the private Norfolk retreat. The couple’s daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, had reportedly already decided that they would spend the festive season with their in-laws instead of the Windsors.
It later emerged that the Duke and Duchess had also pulled out of King Charles’ private pre-Christmas lunch for family and friends at Buckingham Palace today.
However, despite all this, Andrew still plays a prestigious and potentially significant role in the monarchy.
Like his nephew Prince Harry, who also “stepped away” from royal duties, Andrew is a State Councillor.
This means he is one of seven members of the Royal Family legally entitled to stand in for the King, who is still undergoing cancer treatment, “in the event that (he) is temporarily unable to perform his official duties as Sovereign.” due to illness or absence abroad.
Until 2022, the State Councilors were Queen Camilla, Prince William, Harry, Prince Andrew and their eldest daughter Princess Beatrice. But this situation was considered inappropriate by many as the Dukes of York and Sussex, as well as Beatrice, are not working royals.
Prince Andrew drives away from the Royal Lodge on Wednesday
The Duke of York and King Charles together at the late Queen’s Diamond Jubilee ceremony at St Paul’s Cathedral in London
Later that year, the king asked Parliament to add his sister, Princess Anne, and brother, Prince Edward, to the list.
It was reported that she decided not to eliminate Harry and Andrew because she did not want to increase family tensions.
So not only are Andrew and Harry State Councilors, they retain their places in the line of succession: the Duke of Sussex fifth and the Duke of York eighth.
Think about it for a moment: Andrew is seen as such a danger to the reputation of the Royal Family that he cannot be seen with them in public, yet he is considered a suitable candidate to replace our head of state.
Meanwhile, Harry, who publicly criticized the royals and betrayed his family with his vulgar memoir, Spare, would be in line to succeed the King if disaster struck the Windsors.
This situation seems backwards to me.
The King should strip Andrew and Harry of their formal rolesand their places in the line of succession, treating them as loved ones in private, if you wish.
Andrew has repeatedly shown that he has terrible judgment when it comes to friends and associates. His ten-year friendship with alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo, whose name was revealed this week, is just the latest example.
The letter sent by the Duke’s senior adviser, Dominic Hampshire, in 2020 telling Yang that, “outside of his closest internal confidants, you sit at the top of a tree that many, many people would like to be in,” It is terribly shameful and highly damaging to the monarchy.
So is the document found on Yang’s phone that had the “main talking points” for a call with Andrew, which said the prince was “in a ‘desperate situation and would cling to anything’.”
A courtier told me this week that the king would take no further action against his brother – or his youngest son – because he prefers to avoid confrontation whenever possible.
“Her Majesty does not want to further exacerbate family tensions,” the source said. “By nature, he is a unifier, not a divider.”
But my fear is that the events of the last few days have left the King looking weak. Using officials to beg Andrew to “do the right thing” and stay out of the public eye, and even urging his ex-wife, Sarah, to help dissuade him from going to Sandringham, put our monarch in the position of a supplicant.
Instead, he should be the one in charge: strip Andrew of his formal positions, but then invite him to spend Christmas with his family like a brother.
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