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Eyebrows were raised this weekend when it was quietly leaked that shamed Prince Andrew would be attending one of the most important ceremonies in the royal calendar, Garter Day, with his mother the queen’s blessing.
Andrew, 62, recently paid out millions of dollars to Jeffrey Epstein trafficking victim Virginia Giuffre, who accused Andrew of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager.
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Andrew’s mother had previously said he would be stripped of all royal duties and roles, would fight the case as a “private citizen,” and had reportedly asked him not to use his title of “His Royal Highness.”
Therefore the shockwaves created by the London Sunday Times report that Andrew would be referred to as “HRH” in the official account of the ancient ceremony can be easily imagined. Garter Day celebrates Britain’s highest order of chivalry, the Order of the Garter, with membership limited to 24 individuals including former prime ministers.
New clues as to how Andrew managed to secure his attendance at this pivotal ceremonial event are—perhaps—to be found in a fascinating report in today’s Daily Mirror by the respected royal correspondent Russell Myers.
Myers reports that Andrew, who lives just five miles from the queen, has been visiting his mother at Windsor Castle “every day in a bid to make amends for his sex abuse scandal disgrace.”
Myers says the morning visits are daily and often extend to include lunch with his mother.
A source told Myers, “Andrew is doing all he can to make amends for the shame he brought on his family for being involved in such a scandal. He wants to make it up to the queen, which is why he is doing all he can to see her as much as possible.
“The rest of the family, apart from Her Majesty, are united in feeling that he should stay out of the limelight and keep quiet having left such a stain on the family.”
Intriguingly, Myers reports that Andrew upped the frequency of his visits after Harry said in an interview with Hoda Kotb that he wanted to make sure Her Majesty had “the right people around her.”
A friend of Andrew’s told the Mirror he was “deeply offended” by the comments, adding, “He (Andrew) has been making regular visits to see the queen, but she is his mother after all.”
