18 Saturday April 9 2022 | the times
News
When the Queen stepped out with the
Duke of York by her side at the service
to commemorate her late husband, it
swiftly became the focus of the day.
It was ultimately the Queen, 95, who
decided that she wanted her second son
to accompany her but those around
him also insist he has a right to attend
future events.
“If he is rehabilitated then I think he
can do a lot of good,” one source told
The Times.
Days after the memorial he used his
former wife’s Instagram platform to
share a 700-word account of his role in
the Falklands conflict, recounting
being shot at and returning home as a
“changed man”. Sarah, the Duchess of
York, deleted the post hours later, ap-
parently because of the widely hostile
reaction it garnered.
This willingness to place himself in
the public eye only bolstered specula-
tion over a possible comeback for An-
drew, 62, who settled a civil sexual
assault case with Virginia Giuffre for, it
he is said to have met through Tarek
Kaituni, a convicted gun smuggler.
“His ambition to return to public life
and his belief that he can be of service
remains undimmed,” a royal source
told The Times this week. “But he is the
only one who sees it that way.”
His options appear limited.
He is in a very different position to
the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who
stepped down as working royals by
choice and have had endless opportu-
nities to capitalise on their status.
Although a picture has been painted
of a family at loggerheads with Andrew,be an acceptance that he can be at a
family event,” they said. It is thought
that the Derby and a service celebrat-
ing the Queen’s reign at St Paul’s Cathe-
dral are the most likely possibilities.
The role of the Duke of Cambridge in
the meetings over Andrew’s future hasThe Duke of York escorted the QueenDisgraced and downbeat, but the
duke is dreaming of a comeback
is said, £7 million weeks ago and
stepped down from public duties in- Despite the tide of sentiment
against him and the palace insiders who
insist that there can be no return,
sources confirmed that the duke still
harbours ambitions of a public role.
“In the past, he has done a lot of good
things for charities, also in his capacity
as UK trade ambassador,” one said. “If
he is rehabilitated, then I think he can
do a lot of good. The settlement had no
admission of guilt.” Others willing to
speak in his defence believe that his
treatment has been unfair.
“He’s clearly in an awful place,” a
source who knows the duke said. “If you
read it [the Instagram post], it was in-
credibly personal, and incredibly
thoughtful. Even the reaction to that...
here he was as a veteran sharing some-
thing deeply personal on this important
anniversary — it was surprising that it
couldn’t be read as what it was. There
are rightfully some questions of him
but there is rarely a balanced judgment
of him in the media. He has a lot to give
to people who will let him give.”
The duke has become embroiled in a
High Court case between Selman Turk,
an alleged fraudster, and Nebahat Isbi-
len, a Turkish millionairess. There is no
suggestion of wrongdoing by the duke,
although his representatives have
declined to explain why he received
more than £1 million from Turk, whom
it is understood that he has continued
to receive kindness and support from
his siblings behind the scenes.
Charles, 73, “has a very clear delinea-
tion in his mind”, the royal source said.
“On the one hand, the Duke of York
is his brother whom he loves, who he
will support as any sibling would
through difficult times, just as support
has been offered by the Princess Royal
and the Earl of Wessex.
“What they [the siblings] are very
good at is understanding the difference
between the family dynamic and the
institutional need.” Charles is “less
sympathetic” when it comes to the
duke’s public role — and his view that
there is no way back for his beleaguered
brother is unlikely to change.
“The recent events will have only
served to strengthen that position”, the
source said. “But although there is in-
creasing consultation between the
Queen, Prince of Wales and Duke of
Cambridge, the Queen remains at the
helm of this ship.”
The duke will have no formal role at
the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, but
may still attend certain events privately.
Another royal source, after the duke
attended Philip’s service, told The Times
that if other non-working royals such as
his daughters, Princess Beatrice and
Princess Eugenie, were present, then
he could be too.
“He is the Queen’s son, so there has toAfter joining the Queen
at his father’s memorial,
sources insist Andrew
‘still has a lot to give’,
Charlotte Wace writes
Queen to miss Maundy day
The Queen has pulled out of the
annual Royal Maundy service for the
first time since 1970 and will instead
for the first time be represented by
the Prince of Wales, Buckingham
Palace has confirmed.
It is understood that the monarch,
who has been experiencing mobility
problems, did not want to risk
overshadowing the occasion by
cancelling on the day. It is not
thought she has any new illness.
It is only the fifth time in the
Queen’s 70-year reign that she has
pulled out of the tradition of
handing money to pensioners.