Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, faced criticism for his appearance at the thanksgiving service for the late King Constantine of Greece. The photos showed Prince Andrew leading members of the British royal family from Windsor Castle to St George’s Chapel, giving the impression that he was leading the Windsors. However, it was clarified that Prince Andrew was not officially leading the Windsors but the order of precedence was in reverse order of seniority, as commonly seen at events such as the Easter Sunday service and Commonwealth Day.
Prince Andrew arrived at the service alongside his former wife, Sarah, Duchess of York. They were followed by other non-working royals such as Mike and Zara Tindall, Princess Beatrice, and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. The Princess Royal arrived last among the group of royals who walked to the church, while Queen Camilla traveled by car. It was noted that various key members of the royal family were absent from the service, including King Charles, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.
Background on Prince Andrew
Prince Andrew has faced significant public scrutiny since stepping back as a senior royal in November 2019. This followed his controversial TV interview with BBC Newsnight, which centered around his connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In February 2022, Prince Andrew reached an undisclosed out-of-court settlement with Virginia Giuffre, who had sued him claiming she was trafficked by Epstein to have sex with the royal when she was a minor. Despite vehemently denying the allegations, Prince Andrew was stripped of his honorary military roles by Queen Elizabeth II and lost the use of his HRH style in an official capacity in January 2022.
Prince Andrew, who is the father of Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, has kept a relatively low profile since the scandal. He resides at Royal Lodge in Windsor with his ex-wife Sarah, who recently revealed her battle with breast cancer and melanoma. Sarah urged her social media followers to prioritize their health checkups after undergoing mastectomy and reconstruction for her cancer diagnoses. The Duke and Duchess of York are grandparents to Princess Beatrice’s daughter, Sienna, and Princess Eugenie’s sons, August and Ernest.
Prince Andrew’s appearance at the thanksgiving service for King Constantine of Greece reignited public criticism and reminded the world of the controversies that have surrounded him in recent years. Despite attempts to maintain a low profile, the Duke of York continues to face challenges both personally and professionally as he navigates life after stepping back from royal duties.
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