Prince Charles makes sure Prince Andrew stays out of public eye

Prince Andrew has been out of the public eye since 2019 and in a bid to avoid any more drama, Prince Charles is keeping palace doors firmly closed on his brother.

The heir to the throne dealt another blow to his Epstein-scandal-plagued sibling this week, as Charles took over Andrew’s prestigious post as patron of The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

“The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is delighted to announce that The Prince of Wales has accepted an invitation to become the Orchestra’s Patron,” the group said on Tuesday in a statement that made no mention of Andrew.

“The Prince of Wales has a lifelong association with the Arts. During the pandemic His Royal Highness spoke about the importance of protecting the Arts, stressing their enormous importance to life in the UK and to the economy.”

Prince Charles, the Queen and Prince Andrew in June 2019. Picture: Getty

RELATED: Prince Charles to cut off Harry and Meghan Markle

This is the second patronage that Charles, 72, has taken from his younger brother, 61 – who’s been benched by the royal family due to his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Last November, he took over the patronage of York Minster Cathedral. This was done with no official announcement taking place but was quietly noted on the royal family’s website.

Patronages are an important part of being the royal family, offering support to charities, military associations, and arts groups. An organisation that has a royal patron receives publicity and it is seen as a valuable endorsement.

Prince Andrew has been in hot water for several years for his friendship with the disgraced financier and his alleged girlfriend/procurer of underage girls, Ghislaine Maxwell.

Virginia Giuffre has alleged for many years that Epstein and Maxwell forced her to have sex with the royal when she was 17 years old, a claim he denies.

Charles takes over Andrew’s prestigious post as patron of The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Picture: Getty

RELATED: Aussie man shares more ‘proof’ he is Prince Charles and Camilla’s son

In November 2019, Andrew sat down for a disastrous interview with the BBC in which he described Epstein as having conducted himself in “a manner unbecoming” which prompted the presenter Emily Maitlis to respond: “Unbecoming? He was a sex offender.”

Andrew said that he still does not regret becoming friends with Epstein explaining that “useful” opportunities arose from their relationship.

He also failed to express any sympathy for Epstein’s victims which brought howls of criticism. So much so that he apologised two days later and promised to help “any appropriate law agency with their investigations”. He has not yet co-operated with any law enforcement agencies.

The interview, which was likened to a car crash, caused the Prince to announce that he was stepping back from public duties “for the foreseeable future”.

The divorced father-of-two was out of the spotlight until his father, the Duke of Edinburgh died. After a special church service in honour of Prince Philip’s passing, he bounded up to waiting camera crews and spoke about his father saying, “We’ve lost almost the grandfather of the nation.”

This article originally appeared in the New York Post and was reproduced with permission