Commentator Says King Charles Won’t Take Away the ‘Only Thing’ Prince Andrew Has Left
He may not have participated in the British royal family’s annual Order of the Garter service in recent years but a commentator says it’s highly unlikely Prince Andrew will find himself being stripped of the honor by King Charles III. Instead, the “interesting situation” may have the king aiming for another outcome.
Commentator says ‘there’s no way’ King Charles will remove Andrew from the Order of the Garter
Garter Day on June 19 at Windsor Castle included many royals. King Charles and Queen Camilla were there, as well as Prince William and Kate Middleton, among others. However, one royal was notably absent, the Duke of York.
Andrew, 63, wasn’t included in the procession to St. George’s Chapel or the service. According to Russell Meyers, Daily Mirror Royal Editor, despite Andrew not being part of the festivities, he’ll probably retain the honor.
“There have been removals from the Garter. It’s really totally within the gift of the King,” he told The Royal Beat (via Express.) “And there’s no way Charles is going to do that to his brother.” Being a Knight of the Garter, Meyers said, is “probably the only thing” Andrew has left in the way of honors.
Recipients are hand-picked by the sovereign. Only a reported 40 people have ever been removed from the Order of the Garter in its nearly 700-year history.
Following Andrew’s 2019 Newsnight interview about his friendship with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, which is now becoming a film, the duke was stripped of his military titles, royal patronages, and the use of his official ‘His Royal Highness’ styling.
As such, he was reportedly banned from participating in the Order of the Garter service in 2022. The move “set a precedent for Andrew’s part in the Garter Day procession. And he will continue to be denied a public-facing role on the day,” sources told Express.
The outlet also claimed, “Andrew had hoped that he would be allowed to form part of this year’s procession.” Especially considering he’d “been booted from the event at the last minute last year. But the Palace appears to have doubled down on its approach to limit the disgraced Duke’s public appearances.”
Andrew fading ‘into the background’ is another possible scenario besides his Order of the Garter honor removal
So what options are left if King Charles doesn’t strip Andrew of his Order of the Garter honor? “It’s an interesting situation for the King,” Meyers said.
“How much does he want Andrew to be seen in public?” Meyers asked. “I suppose he just wants him to try and retire and not cause him any grief. He’ll just hope that Andrew kind of fades into the background.”
Meanwhile, “Andrew is still holding a wish to come back to royal life,” he added. “But I can’t imagine that will happen.”
Andrew made his last Order of the Garter appearance in 2019
Before his Garter Day ban, Andrew marked the occasion in June 2019. He joined other royals, including his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, at Windsor Castle.
In 2020, the royal family canceled the service because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic just as they did a year later in 2021. Not until 2022 did Andrew return for the Garter Day, attending the private elements of the festivities, including the investiture and lunch.
Andrew became a Knight of the Garter in 2006.
