Prince Andrew's Coronation Snub
According to The Mirror, Prince Andrew's outfit for the coronation isn’t something King Charles, 74, is taking lightly, as he is said to be "torn" over whether to prevent him from wearing his grand regalia. "The letdown for Charles' younger brother may be even worse than what has been reported," The King: The Life of Charles III author Christopher Andersen told Fox News Digital.
"Prince Andrew would normally have been entitled to wear something even grander than his blue velvet Knight of the Garter getup," Andersen explained. "As the King's brother and the Duke of York, he would presumably wear the same jaw-dropping costume Prince Philip wore at Queen Elizabeth's coronation: a flowing red velvet robe draped with five ermine tails, not to mention his own coronet."
"Being a Knight of the Garter is a big deal," Andersen continued, adding, "It is the senior order of knighthood in the realm – but not as big as being a duke and the brother of the King." So what will Prince Andrew wear to the coronation if he isn’t allowed to wear his first option? According to The Mirror, he may be instructed to wear a lounge suit, which Andersen claims will totally humiliate him.
"If the King doesn't allow his own brother to at least wear his Knight of the Garter robes – or barring that, the ceremonial uniform he is still entitled to wear as a vice admiral in the Royal Navy – it will be humiliating for Andrew," Andersen, who also wrote Brothers and Wives: Inside the Private Lives of William, Kate, Harry, and Meghan, explained. "Conversely, at this historic moment, does the new King want to strike yet another note of disharmony in the royal family? It was unsettling enough to watch Prince Harry scowling as he was initially forced to wear a simple suit at Queen Elizabeth's funeral. King Charles clearly does not want a repeat of that."
Royal expert Hilary Fordwich also weighed in, saying a change in the dress code has resulted in Prince Andrew "being purportedly 'furious' at not being able to play a part. He believes it is he who is being disrespected and being dictated over something he is fully entitled to wear."
"Given that the coronation will be a 'Collar Day' for the Order of the Garter, an elite club of just 24 members, they will be wearing collars depicting their knighthoods," Fordwich explained, adding, "But Prince Andrew, albeit still a Knight of the Garter, is projected to be only permitted to wear a lounge suit. He already was not allowed to wear his military uniform at Queen Elizabeth’s funeral. He previously held eight military titles in total but he was unceremoniously stripped of his royal patronages and military titles by his mother."
Royal Experts Discuss Prince Andrew's Role In The Coronation
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle aren’t the only ones without a role in King Charles' coronation on May 6th, as Prince Andrew will also not have an official part to play on the big day if we are to believe reports. Fordwich told Fox News Digital that both King Charles and Prince William like to keep Prince Andrew "away from public engagements in general," so although he is currently expected to be there, his role could be very minimal.
This Is Why I Resist author Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, who has regularly voiced her disapproval of Prince Andrew, told Newsweek: "I'm not surprised that Prince Andrew will be at his brother's coronation. He's still a prince of the realm and he's still the Duke of York. He still has [the] title and he still has the benefits that come with being a member of the royal family. It's his brother and he's a duke."
READ MORE: Prince Andrew Reportedly 'Doesn’t Want To Withdraw' From Public Life—King Charles Must Be Freaking Out!
"I think people will maybe make a noise about it, but it very much depends on whether he is simply attending or whether he has a specific function," she continued. "I think if he's simply attending, I don't see how he can't attend. He attended his father's funeral, he attended his mother's funeral, I would expect him to be there for any other family function which this coronation would be."
Prince Andrew, Maxwell and the Palace author Nigel Cawthorne told Newsweek, "I think there'll be a lot of pressure to be there in some kind of minor role," before going on to reference the role he took in the late Queen Elizabeth II's funeral, including the Vigil of the Princes, in which he stood guard as his mother lay in state at Westminster Hall days before her funeral. "[Andrew] did attend the Vigil of the Princes and marched around behind his mother's coffin," he recalled, "so he has been out in public without anyone throwing eggs at him, so it'll be mentioned in Britain. But the actual crowning will be the thing and that's what the cameras will be on."
READ MORE: Prince Andrew Is Reportedly ‘Bewildered’ That He Hasn’t Received His Inheritance From The Queen Yet