What will exiled Prince Andrew do all day?
Under-fire royal has a daily routine of not very much, according to reports
Prince Andrew’s exile from the royal family appears to have become permanent with news that he has given up his “Duke of York” title.
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The 65-year-old was stripped of using his royal names due to his association with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, which is now said to have gone on for longer than previously thought.
Andrew gave a short statement on Friday to announce his further steps into the background, with his accuser Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir set to be released.
The prince, who does still carry this prefix, is now facing further allegations that he used a police bodyguard in his campaign to smear Ms Giuffre and tried to hassle her with “fake trolls”.
His future looks bleak but where could he go from here?
What is Prince Andrew’s title now?
While he will no longer be known as the Duke of York, or be referred to as this, he will still have the title officially. Losing the title would require a lengthy parliamentary procedure, which would be undesirable for all concerned.
Andrew cannot lose his “prince” title as he is the son of a monarch. He said: “I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
He is still the eighth in line to the throne. He does not need a surname, but when one is required he can go by Mountbatten-Windsor.
What does Prince Andrew do all day?
Prince Andrew stepped back from public life five years ago, a decision he says he “stands by”.
Since then he has been seen on a few choice occasions:
- Attending a memorial for the Duke of Edinburgh,
- Marching alongside his siblings at the queen’s funeral,
- Attending Westminster Cathedral for the funeral of the Duchess of Kent.
But such future attendances might not happen and royal correspondent Stephen Bates says in the Guardian that Andrew will watch the next coronation on TV, if he lives that long.
Despite a reported feud with the King, he still lives in the Royal Lodge in Windsor with his former wife Sarah Ferguson. The pair sometimes host their daughters, princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, but it is thought that they do not often, if ever, need all seven bedrooms - yet they seem unwilling to downsize to the smaller Frogmore Cottage.
But having also stepped back from all the charities he previously represented, it is unclear what Andrew now does day to day, when he is not settling legal matters. Insiders seem to agree that a lot of horse riding and TV watching is part of his routine.
“[He] apparently spends his days watching golf on the television and taking solitary rides in Windsor Great Park,” Bates adds.
Royal insider Jennie Bond wrote: "Andrew seems to spend most of his time either riding around the huge estate on horseback or reportedly sitting in front of a big screen watching live coverage of planes landing and taking off.”
Then there is the question of what he will do for money, as he no longer gets any income from the taxpayer-funded royal account, although he will get a pension from the royal navy, and the King may help him out financially.
“This feels like the end of the road,” writes public relations specialist Paul MacKenzie-Cummins.
“There will likely be no future role for him from a Royal family perspective and almost certainly as a public figure.
“Andrew has been a publicity disaster for the Royal family ever since ‘that’ infamous interview with Emily Maitlis. The King has, in my view, handled this supremely well much like he has successfully managed the Harry and Meghan situation. “But events have conspired in recent weeks to further weaken any chance of a possible reputation resurgence for Andrew – the revelation of Sarah Ferguson’s involvement with Epstein, and now the damning revelations in Virginia Giuffre’s book.”