PRINCE Andrew has been banned from appearing in public at today’s Order of Garter ceremony — after Charles and William lobbied the Queen.
The disgraced Duke, 62, had hoped his appearance with the Royal Family would be a springboard back to public life.
But the senior royals feared a “backlash”.
Andrew will be allowed at private aspects of the Windsor ceremony.
The Queen ordered Andrew to stay out of sight “for his own good” following the tense family talks.
It comes after Charles and William raised fears of a public “backlash” if he was seen in public at a royal engagement
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The disgraced Duke of York, 62 is plotting a royal comeback.
He has asked the Queen, 96, to return his patronages and his HRH title — just five months ago after he was stripped of them.
He lost his titles amid the highly-damaging case brought against him by sex abuse accuser Virginia Giuffre, 38, which led to a multi-milllion pound payout in February.
He hoped to appear in public at today’s Order of the Garter ceremony.
But he will not join family members in their velvet robes and walk to the ceremony at St George’s Chapel or catch carriages back to Windsor Castle.
A source said: “It was a decision taken by the household for the best interests of the family but also the best interests of the Duke of York.”
Members of the public will gather at the ceremony to see the Royal Family make the walk — including Camilla, who is being made a member of the chivalric order.
Andrew has instead been told he can only attend the private aspects of the ceremony — which has not been held since 2019 due to Covid.
He had earmarked this week as he attempts to make a royal comeback and planned on attending Royal Ascot, which begins tomorrow.
Charles and William are understood to have agreed their approach yesterday before telling the Queen, who made the final decision.
The disgraced duke was expected to gather with other royals in their blue velvet robes and black velvet hats with white plumes from 2.30pm today.
The remaining family members will walk from the castle’s Quadrangle downhill to the chapel and return in carriages.
Despite Andy stepping down from royal duty over his links to dead paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and being stripped of his royal role — he remains a Knight of the Order of the Garter.
The Order of the Garter — founded by Edward III in 1348 — is the oldest British Order of Chivalry.
Andrew is still expected at a private ceremony in the Garter Throne Room at Windsor Castle, where Camilla will be made a Royal Lady of the Garter and Tony Blair will be made a Kings Companion.
It is also thought that Andrew could also attend the lunch with the rest of the Knights.
The ceremony was set to be Andy’s first public outing since he walked the Queen into Westminster Abbey on March 29 for Prince Philip’s thanksgiving service.
He missed the Platinum Jubilee after being diagnosed with Covid-19.
A source said: “He is confident and bullish he can make a comeback.”
During talks in recent weeks, he demanded a return to public life and the right to use his HRH status and Colonelcy of the Grenadier Guards.
Prince Charles, 73, and Prince William, 39, were said to be standing in Andrew’s way.
HOAR understands he hoped to appear at least twice at Royal Ascot this week.
Palace insiders called his bid to return to royal duties “delusional”.
A source said: “He knows he has to act quick but his comeback fight is probably doomed before it has started.
“He is delusional if he thinks Charles or William will ever let him back. The Queen is the only person who ever backs Andrew up.”
The Grenadier Guards are also unlikely to want Andrew back due to his links to Epstein and the payout to Ms Giufree, HOAR understands.
Andrew has also been pushing for his daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, to be made working royals so they can be financially secure and be gifted a royal home. He quit royal duty after his car crash Newsnight interview about his links to financier Epstein.
But he was thrust back into the public limelight when Ms Giuffre launched her legal action last August. After a series of court hearings in New York the Duke agreed to settle the case.
He agreed to pay up to £12million to his sex abuse accuser and make a donation to charity rather than go to court.
When the Queen stripped him of titles and patronages, the Palace said he “will continue not to undertake any public duties” and had been reduced to a “private citizen”.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said last night: “The situation in January remains the case.”
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A spokesman for the Duke of York did not want to comment.
- THE Queen has become the world’s second longest reigning monarch. She yesterday overtook Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who reigned for 70 years and 126 days between 1946 and 2016.
