Prince Andrew could be banned from wearing ceremonial robes at King Charles’ Coronation in May - and we asked Mirror readers what they thought of the news.
His Majesty is said to be undecided over the decision to strip Andrew of the privilege to wear the velvet robes and glistening insignia denoting his position as a Knight of the Garter.
The disgraced royal is reportedly “furious” to have been “left completely in the dark” over his required attire for the historic event, despite other attendees being notified ahead of time.
This comes as the Duke of York was forced to step back from royal duties following a sex abuse scandal, which he denies.
The Prince paid £12million in an out-of-court settlement to his accuser Viginia Giuffre , and was subsequently blocked from appearing alongside the late Queen in her final appearance at the traditional Garter Day procession in Windsor.
The Coronation will be a designated “Collar Day” where members of the Order of the Garter may wear the regalia and collar to signify the British orders of knighthood they belong to.
Meanwhile, Andrew faces being ordered to wear a lounge suit after he was stripped of his military appointment Colonel of the Grenadier Guards - although he remains a Vice Admiral because of his service in the Royal Navy.
We asked Mirror readers if they think Charles should ban Andrew from wearing the ceremonial robes at the Coronation, and 75 percent said ‘Yes’.
A total of 3,482 people took part in our poll, and around 2,602 selected the option ‘Yes - he shouldn’t be allowed to wear them’.
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Voters shared their opinions in the comments section, with one person writing: “Andrew should definitely NOT be allowed to wear ceremonial robes at King Charles coronation. Andrew is an embarrassment to the Royal Family - and to us commoners who are subjected, almost daily, to his petulant demands and tantrums. He should learn from his mistakes and retire quietly and gracefully.”
A second penned: “I voted that he should not wear the robes. I do think he should be allowed to attend. He is part of the family but like Harry, he should not take part in the coronation.”
“I voted he should not wear them as he is NOT a working Royal,” stated another, as a third shared: “I voted to ban Andrew from wearing the robes.”
A forth posted: “If the King respects the overwhelming views of the people over whom he supposedly reigns he ought to eliminate Andy and his former wife from participation in any coronation role. Prohibiting his wearing of a ceremonial wardrobe is a no brainer. If the King shows weakness, his leadership image will be much diminished.”
Meanwhile, 24 percent of voters chose the option ‘No - he should be allowed to wear them’ - and backed their selection in the comments.
One supporter wrote: “Andrew has every right to wear whatever ceremonial robes he is still allowed to wear and he should be allowed to attend his brother's coronation. I do not like what I have read about him and there is much I do not like yet I found the need to support him verbally against some detractors who I felt were unfair.”
Another echoed: “Andrew may be arrogant, he may have mixed with the 'wrong' people- but he has NOT committed any crime as far as has been established- or as far as we know- so he should be allowed to wear the ceremonial robes unless he is deposed as a KotG.”
“If Harry can be a Duke and Meghan can be a Duchess, and their children have titles, Andrew should be reinstated and wear them,” voiced a third.
Some users claimed that Harry and Andrew should be treated equally as they are both no longer working royals, with one voter stating: “I agree but Harry and Andrew should be treated the same. Charles is biassed.”
In a separate poll we asked readers if they think it’s fair that Charles is punishing Harry like Andrew after they were both asked to vacate their royal residences.
Around 575 respondents voted in the poll, and 83 percent said ‘Yes - it is fair’.
In the comments section one user wrote: “Andrew and Harry have brought so much shame on our Royal Family they needed to be punished, God Save the King!”
While another added: “Tough decisions have to be made sometimes. King Charles is just making them. If he didn't, he would be called soft. He is trying to cut costs. All three of them knew in advance that this was coming. So, they weren't surprised. None of them are being thrown out onto the street.
“H&M don't even live in the UK and have stated numerous times that they will never move back there. They live in a multi million dollar home in one of the most expensive cities in the US. As for Andrew, he isn't destitute. These are three people who have more money then any of us will ever see.”
Meanwhile, only 16 percent voted for ‘No - it isn’t fair’, as one reader penned: “First of all to think that the King would consider anything Harry has done is in anyway as bad as what Andrew has done is grotesque.”
Only one percent selected the option ‘Other’.
Do YOU agree with the poll results? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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