The Duke and Duchess of Sussex grabbed many headlines when they quit their positions as senior royals.
The reportedly fractured relationship between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and Prince William and Kate Middleton was often in the limelight over the last few months, yet the most serious issue surrounding the British royal family still remains the controversy around Prince Andrew.
The Duke of York is anything but a novice when it comes to being the center of media attention.
He infuriated his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, with his turbulent marriage and consequent separation from Sarah Fergusson that were highly publicized over the years, and he still remained a prominent figure in British society.
Nevertheless, after the demise of notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, many started wondering if Prince Andrew was involved in the schemes of his late friend.
In addition, the Duke of York quit all of his public duties after a controversial interview with Emily Maitlis from the BBC. He made it clear that he and Epstein were friends and unconvincingly claimed he had nothing to do with Epstein’s criminal activities.
However, shortly after the revealing conversation with Maitlis, the Duke of York announced that he would be stepping down from all of his public duties because of his friendship with the notorious financier.
Meanwhile, it was reported that even though Prince Andrew was still very much loved by his parents, Prince Phillip was allegedly very disappointed by his second son and regretted that Andrew had “been too extravagant.”
Apparently, it was the Duke of Edinburgh who sternly told his son that it was time to step down.
A royal insider explained: “It was a tense meeting, and Philip told his son he had to take his punishment. There was no screaming or shouting, but Philip told him in no uncertain terms that he had to step down for the sake of the monarchy. Philip doesn’t like trial by the media, but he is realistic enough to realize that Andrew’s actions were a danger to the very fabric of the Royal Family.”
The Queen and her husband have decided not to shame Prince Andrew publicly, but they will distance themselves from him.
The plan is to phase him out of the royal family; there is a possibility that he will never appear in official photos ever again.
He was airbrushed from Princess Beatrice‘s surprise royal wedding. Moreover, he will not participate in Prince Philip’s 100th birthday celebration set to take place in 2021.
