Glum-looking Prince Andrew breaks cover after Palace ruled government buildings would NO longer fly flags to celebrate Duke’s birthday – as other senior royals also lose honour
- Queen and Charles are only allowed Union Flags on government buildings for birthdays barring Andrew
- Honour was also stripped from William, Kate, Anne, Edward, Camilla, Sophie in bid to spare embarrassment
- Duke of York was allegedly had a number of council refusing to fly the flag in his honour earlier this year
- This is said to be due to his association with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his lawsuit with Virginia Roberts
Prince Andrew was pictured looking glum driving his Range Rover after leaving Windsor Castle today – as it emerged that he would never again have the Union Flag flying in his honour.
Wearing mirrored aviator-style sunglasses as he sat behind the wheel of the dark green SUV the Duke of York left his home on the Windsor estate this morning in the in the sunshine.
Last night, it was revealed that he had been effectively barred from having the flag adorn government buildings for his birthday after the Queen and Prince Charles became the only royals to keep the privilege.
The flag flying days for 2022 which appear to have been changed on February 11 this year also stripped royals William, Kate, Anne, Edward, Camilla and Sophie of the privilege.
It came as the shamed royal faced further woes after lawyers for an alleged victim of Jeffrey Epstein threatened to serve him with legal papers.
Prince Andrew who was pictured driving while leaving Windsor today has been looking glum after news broke he would never again have the Union Flag flying in his honour
The Queen and Prince Charles will be the only royals honoured with the Union Flag flying over government buildings on their birthdays. In a bid reportedly to save Prince Andrew from embarrassment the honour was stripped from the Duke of York as well as William, Kate, Anne, Edward, Camilla and Sophie
The Government publishes a list each year of designated days for the flag to fly over governmental buildings. Pictured: Union Flag on a tower of Parliament
Prince Andrew pictured taking a stroll through New York’s Central Park with convicted paedophile and child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. News of the flag honour being done away with came as the shamed royal faced further woes after lawyers for an alleged victim of Epstein threatened to serve him with legal papers
The Duke of York is effectively barred after the Queen and Prince Charles became the only royals to have government buildings adorned with the flag on their birthdays. The Duke of York was pictured today wearing mirrored sunglasses in an aviator-style this morning as he left his home on the Windsor estate in the dark green Sport PHEV in the sunshine
Each year the government publishes a list of designated days for the flag to fly over government buildings.
Yet the guidance on flags changed in 2022 according to archives of its code on flying the Union Flag, with the alteration meaning the Duke of York’s February 19 birthday is no longer a designated day.
Only Her Majesty and her successor, the Prince of Wales, will have their birthdays marked. The government said: ‘Since 2021, the default position is the flag flies all year unless another flag is being flown.’
Andrew’s 60th in 2020 sparked a storm of controversy after councils were sent notes by the private secretary to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government permanent secretary reminding them to fly the flag in his honour.
The Government later said this would not be required. Other removed dates include the late Duke of Edinburgh’s birthday on June 10, and the Queen and Philip’s wedding anniversary on November 20.
Philip, who was married to the Queen for more than 70 years, died in April 2021 at the age of 99.
The news came after tepresentatives for Caroline Kaufman say Andrew was visiting Epstein’s home in New York on the night she claims she was raped by the paedophile financier in December 2010.
They want the Duke of York to provide a statement as a potential witness to events in the Upper East Side townhouse during his visit when he was pictured inside the building.
In the run up to his birthday earlier this year, a number of councils allegedly said they would not obey a rule to fly it for Andrew on his birthday because of the disgraced Duke of York’s association with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his lawsuit with Virginia Roberts which he settled for £12million. Pictured: The Duke leaves Windsor
Just last year the Duke of York’s birthday was included as a designated day to fly the flag
Yet in a bid to spare the disgraced Duke’s blushes the order was pared back this year
The civil lawsuit does not accuse the duke of any wrongdoing or allege that he was aware of any attack on Miss Kaufman, who was 17 at the time.
But her lawyer’s comments come just a week after Andrew, 62, was reported to have lobbied the Queen to return his royal duties and ceremonial roles.
Spencer Kuvin, who represents Miss Kaufman, now 28, said he wanted Andrew to give a statement about his visit to the New York townhouse.
The latest accusations come amid rumours Prince William is lobbying the Queen to have his uncle Andrew barred from public life.
‘He has strong views on the Duke of York and believes his insistence in trying to cling on to a public role is highly dangerous for the institution,’ a friend of William told the Daily Mail.
The friend added: ‘He would have cut him loose a long time ago if it had been up to him.
‘He understands that when it comes to mother and son the situation is complicated, but honestly I think he just wishes he would vanish from public view.’
There are fears the friction between the duo of William and Charles and their disgraced relative Andrew could trigger a fallout among the Royal Family during their upcoming summer retreat at Balmoral.
Prince William, Prince Andrew and Prince Charles are pictured together at the funeral of Prince Philip. William is lobbying the Queen to have his uncle Andrew barred from public life
‘[William] has strong views on the Duke of York and believes his insistence in trying to cling on to a public role is highly dangerous for the institution,’ said a friend (pictured: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (L) and Britain’s Prince Andrew, Duke of York (R) in 2018)
Prince Andrew drives from his Windsor home to the castle for the private elements of the Order of the Garter ceremony after being banned from the public parts earlier this June
Prince Andrew is furious with the heirs to the throne for preventing his return to public life at the Order of the Garter ceremony earlier this month, it has been claimed.
‘Andrew is desperate to rebuild his life and wants his titles back,’ a source told The Sun. ‘But he is fuming with Charles and William for stopping his plans.’
Buckingham Palace said that the Duke of York’s absence from the Windsor Castle procession and Order of the Garter service was a ‘family decision’, but it is believed it came about after the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge lobbied the Queen about his participation.
Andrew was still allowed to join the Queen at the formal investiture of new members of the Order of the Garter – including the Duchess of Cornwall and ex PM Tony Blair – and as well as the lunch afterwards, the Mail on Sunday reported.
It came amid reports that Andrew had been pushing for a return to royal duties but his older brother Prince Charles and nephew Prince William had asked the Queen not to give in to the disgraced royal.
Her Majesty apparently informed him to keep out of sight ‘for his own good’.
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