Prince Andrew missed out on an appearance at Trooping the Colour amid a reported row with King Charles over being "cut off".
The disgraced Duke of York was nowhere to be seen as the monarch and the rest of the Royal Family gathered for the sovereign's birthday parade today. As in previous years, working royals only appeared in the procession to Horse Guards Parade.
This meant fans got to see the likes of Prince William, Princess Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Edward and Sophie, as well as Princess Anne. However, as Andrew was forced to step down from public life following his car crash Newsnight interview about his association with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, he did not appear at the event today.
Andrew the last time he was at Trooping the Colour in 2019 (Getty Images)In fact, it has been five years since he attended Trooping the Colour after missing out on the late Queen's final birthday parade in 2022 during her Platinum Jubilee Celebrations as he came down with Covid.
Andrew's non-attendance at Trooping comes just weeks after reports the monarch is urging his disgraced brother once again to leave his 30-room Royal Lodge home. Andrew is understood to have a long lease on the Royal Lodge.
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The royals made a touching appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony (Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)But the King is ultimately responsible for all of the royal household's finances, and so could choose to restrict funds from him - meaning he could soon struggle to meet the extortionate annual upkeep costs of the Grade II-listed property. Charles also currently funds Andrew's security bill, which costs £3million a year. Andrew's persistent refusal to take up the new property after previous requests is reported to have frustrated Charles.
Andrew with older brother King Charles (Getty Images)A royal source told The Times: "The King's kindness is not without limit and there is a very good option for Andrew to move into Frogmore Cottage, recently vacated by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, which also has the benefit of being within the Windsor Castle security cordon hence reducing the need for alternative round-the-clock security for Royal Lodge." The source added that Andrew is "taking longer than desirable" to "recognise the reality of the situation".
Kate made a first public appearance since her cancer announcement (Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)But Andrew so far shows no sign of budging. One acquaintance of the Duke of York told the newspaper that he is likely to "dig in" if the stand-off continues and that he had already enjoyed a "stay of execution" in light of Sarah Ferguson and the King's own recent illnesses.
Royal Lodge, once home to the Queen Mother, is a 19th-century Grade II-listed property with a pool and 90 acres of land. Andrew signed a 75-year lease for the house back in 2003 and lives there with his ex-wife Fergie, but reports began to circulate in early 2023 that Charles was keen for his brother to move out and move into Frogmore Cottage, which has been recently renovated.
Andrew was forced to step down from royal duties amid the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. He quit public life in November 2019, admitting it had "become clear [that] my former association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to my family's work." The latest opinion poll revealed Prince Andrew to be the least popular member of the royal family by far. The YouGov survey showed the duke was popular with only 9 per cent of people, while 76 per cent said they disliked him.
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