The Duke of York has tested positive for Covid and will no longer attend the jubilee Service of Thanksgiving for the Queen at St Paul’s Cathedral, Buckingham Palace has said.
Prince Andrew was set to make an appearance at the service on Friday 3 June, which would have been the largest gathering of the royal family since the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2018.
It was also due to be the only official platinum jubilee event the Duke would attend.
A palace spokesperson said: “After undertaking a routine test the Duke has tested positive for Covid and with regret will no longer be attending tomorrow’s service.”
It is understood Andrew saw the Queen in the last few days but has been undertaking regular testing and has not seen her since he tested positive.
The Duke’s last public appearance was at the memorial service held for the late Prince Philip in March.
At the service, Andrew surprised attendees when he walked the Queen through Westminster Abbey in front of the 1,800-strong congregation.
It was the first time the Duke attended a public event since he reached an out-of-court agreement with Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexual abuse when she was 17 years old.
Andrew, who consistently claimed he has no recollection of ever meeting Giuffre and has vehemently denied her allegations, paid a multi-million pound settlement including damages to Giuffre and a donation to charity in the civil case against him.
He stepped down from royal duties in November 2019 following allegations surrounding his friendship with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew was also stripped of his honorary military titles and royal patronages in January this year, and can no longer use his HRH style.
He did not appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace alongside the Queen, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during the Trooping of the Colour on Thursday.
Earlier, Buckingham Palace said the Queen had limited the balcony appearance to working members of the royal family after “careful consideration”.
Also absent from the balcony were the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who stepped down from royal duties in 2020. The couple watched the parade from the Major General’s Office.
