Prince Andrew is furious with Charles, Prince of Wales, and Prince William, for blocking his attempted return to public life at the Order of the Garter ceremony earlier this month, reported The Sun.
The affronted 62-year old prince is refusing to socialise with his older brother, the heir apparent to the British throne, and his nephew, over their intervention, claimed the outlet.
“Andrew is desperate to rebuild his life and wants his titles back. But he is fuming with Charles and William for stopping his plans. He doesn’t want to talk to them. Battle lines have been drawn and this has put a cloud over Balmoral in the summer,” a source was cited as saying.
Prince Andrew, 62, is said to have been devising a “comeback” plan after settling a civil sexual assault case brought against him in the US by alleged Jeffrey Epstein victim, Virginia Roberts Giuffre.
However, Prince Charles and Prince William have reportedly been desperate to keep the Duke of York out of the public eye. The royals intervened to stop Prince Andrew, stripped of his honorary military roles in January and his HRH style amid the sex abuse allegations, from attending the Knights of the Garter ceremony at Windsor Castle last week.
The Duke of York had reportedly intended to participate in the full service, presided over by his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, however the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge lobbied the 96-year-old monarch about his participation. Finally, Prince Andrew was allowed to join the Queen at the formal investiture of new members of the Order of the Garter.
After that, the embattled Queen’s son was said to have decided against attending the Royal Ascot event, which would have involved taking part in the carriage procession with other senior members of the royal family. Prince Andrew opted out “without fuss”, a source was cited by The Times.
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II (3rd L) stands on Buckingham Palace balcony with (From L) Britain's Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Britain's Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Britain's Prince George of Cambridge, Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Britain's Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and Britain's Prince Louis of Cambridge at the end of the Platinum Pageant in London on June 5, 2022 as part of Queen Elizabeth II's platinum jubilee celebrations.
© AFP 2023 / LEON NEAL
This move by the Duke had ostensibly given the Royal Family hope that he may be resigned to his fate. Yet, sources have suggested the “deluded” prince still believes he can regain his titles and return to life as a working royal.
Amid the latest reports, there have been concerns cited about the Royal Family’s summer get-together at Balmoral and whether the current friction between the trio could trigger a further fallout.
Prince Andrew is described as currently spending most of his time at his Royal Lodge home, occasionally venturing out to have lunch with the Queen or go horse riding in Windsor.