Andrew was seen standing next to William outside Westminster Cathedral, with the former Duke of York attempting to speak to his nephew, who turned away. A lipreader, appearing on Channel 5’s Lipreading the Royals, has revealed what they believe Andrew said to William. He reportedly said: “I’ve learned from what I’ve done. But before I forget, I’d like to ask you if you can forgive?” This appears to show the bombshell moment that Andrew would have worked out that there would be no going back with his nephew.
This year, Andrew can no longer use the style Duke of York after he and The Firm determined his public controversies were proving a distraction from the Royal Family’s duties, with his titles to enter “abeyance”. He confirmed in a statement that the decision means he will not “use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me”.
Prince Andrew has always strenuously denied any allegations against him.
He said: “In discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family.
“I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life.”
The move to strip his titles follows Prince Andrew’s persistent presence in British headlines, primarily due to his former links with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew was accused of having sex with Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s victims, who alleged she was just 17 when she was paid £15,000 to have sex with the royal.
Andrew, who had consistently denied the allegations, reached an out-of-court settlement in 2022 worth £12m to prevent a civil trial with Giuffre proceeding. The settlement did not include an admission of guilt.