Charles ordered Andrew to wear his uniform at vigil

The decision should not be taken as a signal that the Duke of York will be ­allowed to return to royal duties, palace sources say.

Prince Andrew in his vice-admiral’s uniform at Friday’s vigil for the Queen at Westminster Hall. Picture: Getty Images

The Duke of York did not lobby for permission to wear his military uniform at the Queen’s vigil but was ordered to by the King, it has emerged.

The decision to allow Prince Andrew to wear his vice-admiral uniform during the vigil over their mother’s coffin should not be taken as a signal that he will be ­allowed to return to royal duties, palace sources say.

The instruction came from the King’s office “out of the blue” on Monday last week and was not because of a request by Andrew. A Buckingham Palace source has described the decision as an “act of kindness” by Charles and said that it should not be seen as having wider significance.

Prince Andrew kept guard at Westminster Hall alongside the King, Princess Anne and the Earl of Wessex on Friday evening. He was not allowed to wear uniform at the funeral on Sunday or any other ceremonial event.

On the eve of the Queen’s funeral he paid tribute to his “Mummy” and thanked her for her “compassion and care”.

Andrew, 62, was stripped of his royal duties and military assignments in January because of his links to the paedophile tycoon Jeffrey Epstein, who died while on remand in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019.

The duke later settled a multimillion-dollar claim brought by one of Epstein’s victims, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who claims that she was forced to have sex with the prince three times when she was aged 17.

He has consistently denied the allegations. Ms Guiffre now now lives in Australia.

The Prince of Wales is reported to have told friends that he agrees with his father that there is no way for Andrew to return to royal ­duties. A source said that Prince William, 40, believes that his uncle’s attempt to cling on to a public role is “highly dangerous for the institution”.

Andrew had hoped to return to public life by taking part at the annual Garter Day ceremony at Windsor Castle in June. Despite his name appearing in the order of service his appearance was blocked at the last-minute following discussions between Charles, 73, and William.

Andrew lives in Royal Lodge, 5km from Windsor Castle, which is one of the homes that the King will occupy. Land Registry documents show that the duke paid £1m ($1.7m) to the Crown Estate in 2003 for a 75-year lease on Royal Lodge, where the Queen Mother had lived until her death in 2002.

There is no indication that the King will ask Andrew to move out of the property, which he shares with his former wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, 62. Andrew has spent $12.8m refurbishing the 30-room house, which hosted the wedding receptions of both his daughters, Princess Beatrice, 34, and Princess Eugenie, 32. The grade II listed house was also the backdrop to Beatrice’s 18th birthday dinner and ball where guests included Epstein, the British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, 60, who was jailed in June for trafficking Epstein’s victims, and the Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein, 70, who was jailed in 2020 for sex offences.

– The Times