Prince Andrew continues to be phased out of the role of public-facing British royalty due to allegations of sexual assault, and it is quite fantastic to see his downfall. Following his settlement with alleged survivor, Virginia Giuffre for millions, it was always assumed that the current Duke of York (for now) would not show up alongside his mother for her 75th anniversary of being Queen. But, favorite sons have a strange hold.
The Daily Beast is reporting that they understand that the queen actually very much wanted to include Andrew, but that Prince Charles was chief among those who made presentations to the queen calling for Andrew not to attend the procession. It is being seen as Charles “stepping, at least informally, into a quasi-Regent role.” It’s sibling rivalry at its best when you can literally make sure your gross brother has as little of a role in public life as possible. It has long been rumored that Charles would be tightening the strings around the extended royal family, which might mean cutting into the little bit of security Andrew has been used to.
“Charles, who began lobbying for a reduced role for his brother over a decade ago, long before his association with Jeffrey Epstein became a mainstay of news coverage of the royal family, is believed to have been particularly concerned that the event could turn into a re-run of Prince Philip’s memorial, when coverage of Andrew escorting his mother by the arm to her seat completely overshadowed the proceedings of the day.”
Charles has a long history of knowing how optics work, and between the racism within the royal family and the relationship between Epstein and Andrew, keeping him around is just not a good look. Andrew might have protection as long as his mom is around, but at almost 100 years old, that could end anywhere from a few more years from now to tomorrow.
Regardless, this does signal that Charles is stepping up and will be using his role as future King to exert some power over his family. If that can lead to Andrew having to face the consequences of his actions, it’s at least something that bodes at least well for the reign of King Charles III.
(via The Daily Beast, image: Christopher Furlong – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
