Disgraced Prince Andrew to ‘dress up like royalty for a day’ at ceremony with King Charles after Duke was stripped of His Royal Highness status over Jeffrey Epstein scandal
The Duke of York has been accused of “playing royal dress-up” after it was revealed that he will attend a grand ceremony alongside the King today.
Disgraced 63-year-old Prince Andrew will wear his ermine robes when he goes to the Royal Victorian Order event, which celebrates loyalty and service to the Royal Family.
The dinner and after party, which will take place in Windsor, will feature around 600 guests, including Her Majesty and Prince Edward.
The set of velvet robes embellished with intricate royal details signify his position as a Knight of the Garter, the ancient order of chivalry dating back to 1348 whose knights traditionally play important roles during coronation ceremonies.
After Prince Andrew was hit with sexual abuse allegations in 2019, which he strenuously denies, he was stripped of his duties as a royal.
Prince Andrew, Duke of York, pictured attending the Sandringham Estate Christmas Day service last year
The King, pictured here at the 2023 Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey on March 13, will also attend the order’s party.
However, the late queen did not remove him from his ceremonial role in the Royal Victorian Order following the allegations.
Former Norman Baker MP and active member of the Privy Council said the Duke of York is ‘returning to public life’ and should be ‘expelled’.
“He’s just allowed to play dress up royal for the day when he really should be serving a long period of silence,” he was quoted as saying. Sun.
Ingrid Seward of Majesty magazine told the paper: “He’s a member, so they probably couldn’t stop him from leaving even if they wanted to.”
It was revealed last month that because Andrew was stripped of his royal duties, he will not have a ceremonial role at the King’s Coronation despite remaining a Knight of the Garter.
It has also been reported in recent weeks that Andrew was “furious” after finding out that the King might ban him from wearing his ermine robes at the Coronation.
He was previously banned from wearing traditional robes at Queen Elizabeth’s last appearance at the Garter Day procession in Windsor.
It is not yet clear if he will be allowed to attend the Coronation in the robes.
Pictured: The Duke of York in his ceremonial robes in 2007
The set of velvet robes embellished with intricate royal details signifies Prince Andrew’s (pictured with the then-Prince of Wales in 2015) status as Knight of the Garter.
The Duke settled a sexual assault lawsuit brought by his accuser, Virginia Giuffre, last year for $12m (£10m), but is now said to believe he should have fought the case.
The Mail on Sunday reported in January that he is considering trying to void a multi-million dollar deal he made with Ms Giuffre.
However, the backlash the Prince has received surrounding the case has made any return to public life seem all but impossible.
Buckingham Palace was contacted by MailOnline for comment.
