The Duke of Cambridge has said he will step down from a garter ceremony held today if the Duke of York makes a public return. The intervention reported by him suggests that it is very unlikely that the queen’s second son will be able to return to public life.
A source quoted by the Evening Standard stressed that “the Duke of Cambridge was adamant.”
They added: “If York insisted on participating in public, he would withdraw.
At the event, Sir Tony Blair, the Duchess of Cornwall and Baroness Amos were awarded the highest Royal Knighthood.
Of course, the Duke of York was only allowed to attend the non-public aspects of the ceremony.
These include a private lunch.
A spokesman for Buckingham Palace said: “The Duke of York will attend the investiture and lunch today, but will not be part of the procession or service.”
In response to the report on the Duke of Cambridge’s threat, Daily Mail Diary editor Richard Eden wrote in a Twitter post: “Good for William!”
Prince Andrew was spotted arriving at Windsor Castle before the event earlier today.
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They added that William and Charles hoped common sense would prevail and Prince Andrew would not seek to play an important role in the event.
This was his first public appearance since the conclusion of the US civil lawsuit filed against him by prosecutor Virginia Juffre.
The Duke of York has consistently denied all allegations made against him by Mrs Giuffre.
But commentators have suggested that a return to public life remains highly unlikely.
Nick Goldstone, head of the dispute resolution department at a law firm, once told Express.co.uk in February that the prince was likely to try to “rehabilitate” himself.
However, the legal expert predicts that he will remain “off stage”.
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