Prince Andrew Had To Skip The Garter Day Ceremony Because His Family Wouldn’t Let Him Attend

Unfortunately, Prince Andrew’s recent positive COVID-19 test result that caused him to miss THE QUEEN’s Jubilee Thanksgiving service did not result in a case of long covid. SkyNews reports that Andrew was well enough and eager to attend today’s Garter Day ceremony but was shut down by a “family decision” that he needs to keep his ass indoors. I know that’s right! The Queen didn’t make it through her entire Jubilee in one piece only to get taken out by a flying cabbage that had been lobbed at Andrew’s silly hat.

Vanity Fair adds that the decision came “at the eleventh hour over concerns about the damage his attendance could cause the royal family and amid fears he could be booed by the public.” God forbid Andrew finds out what the world really thinks of him. He apparently thinks this whole Jeffrey Epstein bother should have blown over by now and doesn’t understand why he isn’t allowed to return to his important work as a grown man playing dress-up. According to SkyNews, Prince Charles and Prince William were the ones to put their foot down with The Queen.

The Duke of York will not be seen in public during Garter Day, one of the most colourful events in the royal calendar, after the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge reportedly lobbied the Queen about his participation.

It was reported that the disgraced Duke of York was due to appear alongside senior members of the Royal Family for the annual service in St George’s Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle.

But a Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “The Duke of York will attend the investiture and lunch today but will not be part of the procession or service.”

His last public engagement was when he escorted the Queen to the memorial service for the Duke of Edinburgh in March.

The cruelest part of Andrew’s saga is not that he’s been stripped of his responsibilities to crown and country, that stuff is hard and boring. It’s that mummy took away his favorite parts of the job — Dressing up in goofy costumes and allegedly engaging in illegal sexual exploits with impunity. Possibly at the same time. Sky adds:

In January, ahead of his legal settlement in the case, the Queen stripped Andrew of his honorary military roles, including Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, and he gave up his HRH title.

On Sunday, the Telegraph quoted an unnamed source as saying: “The colonelcy of the Grenadier Guards was his most coveted title and he wants it back. Having remained a Counsellor of State, he also believes he should be included at royal and state events.

“Most importantly for him is his status as an HRH and ‘Prince of the Blood’ and he feels that should be reinstated and his position recognised and respected.”

The Queen wasn’t able to attend the ceremony but did bestow a great honor on Duchess Camilla in absentia. Via VF:

During the service, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, was installed as a Royal Lady of the Order of the Garter, the highest accolade the queen can bestow on a female family member. It is, according to friends of Camilla, the one title that the duchess has secretly wanted and was thrilled to receive.

Prince Charles was keen that his wife’s big moment should not be upstaged by his brother, and Vanity Fair has been told that he was particularly resistant to his brother attending the service and does not want Andrew returning to any official engagements.

ITV adds that the fact that Andrew had previously been cleared to participate suggests that The Queen “thought it was a good moment to begin the process of publicly re-building his life.”

Confirmation then that Prince Andrew *was due to attend.
The already-printed Order of service for today’s Garter ceremony at Windsor has him there – in black and white 👇 https://t.co/6PdcCejCOf pic.twitter.com/f3riSeUUGD

— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) June 13, 2022

This is the little parade that was so important that Andrew was willing to risk igniting a second English Civil War in order to attend. Or at the very least, risk receiving a most uncomfortable reception for!

WATCH: So here is the Garter Day Procession MINUS Prince Andrew.
Note Tony Blair and Baroness Amos (two new ones) at the front.
Prince William is next to his uncle Prince Edward.
Prince Charles and Camilla (she is the new Royal Lady of the Order) at the back. pic.twitter.com/Sv3FyTt8ra

— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) June 13, 2022

Man, you’d have to be a pretty dedicated revolutionary to sit through all that slow waking just to yell “boo!” at Andrew, especially if you could pelt Charles and the Royal Lady of the Order of the Garter with tampons instead.

Here are pics from the Andrew-less Order of the Garter Service:

Pics: INSTARImages