Prince Andrew grinned like a Cheshire cat this week as he led a procession of members of the British royal family with his loyal ex-wife Sarah Ferguson by his side.
The smug Duke of York, 64, walked in front of a group that included Fergie and Fergie’s daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Anne to attend a memorial service for King Constantine of Greece.
It’s a remarkable comeback for a man whose own mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, was forced into a concentration camp. banish him from public view Because of his connections to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
For a while now, King Charles had made it clear he wanted to do this. Reduce the number of paid royals — was able to relegate the disgraced brother to the background.
But now there is no one to hide him.
The slim plan apparently backfired, with Prince Charles, 75, and his daughter-in-law Kate Middleton, considered one of the most popular and photogenic members of the royal family, suffering emergency health issues. This is because he is absent due to a problem. Meanwhile, the 42-year-old Princess of Wales is still recovering from major abdominal surgery in January, and she is not expected to be seen again until after Easter.
Duchess Kate’s husband Prince William, 41, was scheduled to attend the memorial service for his beloved godfather Constantine at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle on behalf of the family, but due to “personal circumstances” he had to attend. He resigned just 45 minutes ago.
Not only have recent weeks shown that the royal family is indeed human, but Charles’ plans to streamline the monarchy threaten to upend the very institution he has been trying to modernize.
Renowned historian Hugo Vickers, who was at the memorial, told Royal Family Page Six: “At the moment there aren’t enough of them to go around.”
Queen Andrew, who is eighth in line to the throne, could be seen strutting happily in front of the chapel, but the hierarchy within the chapel was clear. Queen Camilla, 76, was actually observing the royal ceremony in the absence of the King. The custom is for her to take her seat after others.
But as always, public perception is everything.
Even though they walked through the same door, the Queen was driven directly to the chapel, while Andrew led a group on a walk from Windsor Castle, with pictures of himself being shared everywhere.
“Andrew would have been very happy,” one person who knows him said of the occasion. “He loves all this glamorous stuff. He may not be a working royal, but he’s always believed he’s a legitimate and important part of the royal family, and nothing has changed. ”
As Page Six reported, Andrew relies on Charles to pay for his security and still refuses to leave his luxurious 30-room home, Royal Lodge – insiders say he no longer This is despite the fact that they say they don’t understand how they can afford it.
The Duke of York, once a charming and heroic helicopter pilot in the Falklands War, was forced to pay a multi-million dollar settlement to Epstein’s victim accuser Virginia Roberts Giffle in 2022. Lost all military titles. she was 17 years old.
He has always denied this claim.
But even before that, the sudden departure of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2020 sharply reduced the status of the royal family, leaving fewer royals to be the public faces of the royal family on a daily basis.
As Page Six revealed, Prince Harry, 39, would be happy to take part again if his father asked him to, but for now the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are working on their final year of entertainment projects. Regarding the contract with Netflix.
Instead, the King and Queen will turn to relatives who would have collected AARP cards years ago, including Charles’ cousins and the lesser-known septuagenarian Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. Ta.
“Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan are not serving themselves; His country – whereas Gloucester are getting nothing but working hard,” Vickers added.
He explained that Prince Charles had decided to abolish the monarchy as a way to maintain his popularity.
“Return to Trooping the Color” [a public ceremony celebrating the ruling monarch’s birthday]It was the one day a year when the late Queen invited her extended family to the balcony of Buckingham Palace, so the man on the street thought he was paying taxes for them all.” Mr. Vickers said. “In reality, the Queen and Prince Philip are the only ones whose costs were paid directly by taxpayers.”
“The Prince and Princess of Wales are supported by the Duchy of Cornwall.” [a private estate]; the rest of the expenses were paid in full by the Queen,” he added. “But the optics were wrong, and the king adopted a slimmed-down monarchy.”
Realistic Princess Anne — Who undertakes more engagements than any other royal family But before her brother’s May 2023 coronation, she said: I’m not really sure what else I can do. ”
And with older minor league royalty now being called up to the major leagues, the big question is: Who are the young royals who can step up? After all, attractiveness and youth sell.
A palace source said: “It’s been a hell of a time waiting for Princess Charlotte to come forward. She will definitely be the saving grace of the monarchy.”
Charles’ nieces and nephews are not working members of the royal family, and his grandson Prince George, currently second in line to the throne, is only 10 years old.
By the way, Princess Charlotte is only 8 years old.
The two names named are Princess Beatrice, 35, and Princess Eugenie, 33, but a senior palace source told Page Six that they were “tainted” by their father, Andrew.
“It seems unlikely that it will be Beatrice and Eugenie… [Princess Anne’s] “The children can help, but they don’t even have a royal title,” said the mother of popular equestrian Zara Tindall, 42, and businessman Peter Phillips, 42. said a palace official who chose not to give him the title of prince. Make their lives “easier.”
Still, another London socialite who knew the York family well said with a sigh: And they could really make Beatrice and Eugenie work as royals.
A source for Beatrice and Eugenie, who are patrons of various charities including the Teenage Cancer Trust, said: “Many people are concerned that this current model is not very sustainable. The king loves his nieces very much.”
For now, Camilla, who rose to incredible power after being Charles’ longtime mistress, is in charge.
“The Queen really holds the whole show together. She does a really great job,” Vickers said.
“That would be difficult. Being the central figure in that wasn’t something she expected. And this week, she was the one who escorted Queen Anne-Marie of Greece. [Constantine’s widow]And they’re doing a very good job,” Vickers said.
It remains to be seen how long it will be before Kate can appear regularly after her surgery, but a rep told Page Six that the Duchess is “doing well.”
Nevertheless, Prince William’s cancellation this week has sparked public anxiety that something is terribly wrong with his wife.
A spokesperson added only that the 42-year-old Princess of Wales is “doing well.”
And while Vickers said that “the king was never keen on the family doing ‘celebrity-style’ events,” in fact a healthy dose of glamor had recharged the royal family’s popularity in recent years. Thing.
“The sad thing is that when King Charles came on the scene, the royal family came alive again. All of a sudden, Buckingham Palace became active again,” a palace insider said. “But now we are in a situation where so many people are out of action due to illness.”
