Prince Andrew is suspected to try and wangle his way back into favour during the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla this week, according to royal commentators.
The Duke of York is set to attend the monumental ceremony with his daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, but as they are not working royals they are not expected to appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony after the crowning, the Express reports.
However, Russell Myers and Ann Gripper, hosts of the Pod Save The King podcast, have discussed the late Queen's disgraced son's possible return during a recent episode, and how significant it might for him earning back some of the public's respect.
Mr Myers, royal editor at Lorraine, mentioned Andrew's front and centre position at the royal Easter service last month, saying he “got himself up the chain of people walking to church — which he wasn't necessarily doing when the late Queen was here — but certainly, he was striding behind the King and Queen Consort, alongside his sister”.
He questioned: “Is this sort of a chance for him to rehabilitate his image? Are we going to see him more at the Coronation? It might present an opportunity for him that he will take.”
The podcast host also noted Andrew's ex-wife Sarah Ferguson's “big PR round for her book” in the same episode. In recent months, the Duchess of York who still resides at Royal Lodge in Windsor with her ex-husband, has been involved in a series of events to help promote her latest romance novel.
In several interviews, she has spoken of Prince Andrew, describing him as a "good man" and "an honest person" who "needs to be taken out of the spotlight so he can get on with his life".
Mr Myers noted that Ferguson has been "mentioning Prince Andrew a lot," proposing that her comments might be an attempt to introduce him "back into the fold".
The commentator said: “He [Andrew] does see himself as a young man who has a lot of life to live. He’s only 63. And certainly, he doesn't want to retire and even if he does retire, what's he going to do?”
The Duke of York previously held the rank of commander and the honorary rank of vice admiral in the Royal Navy. he enjoyed a respectful military career, most notably serving as an active-duty helicopter pilot during the Falklands War.
He retired from the Navy in July 2001 after 22 years of active service and went on take full-time royal duties, representing the Royal Family at official events and on overseas visit. He was also Britain's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment until July 2011.
It was around this time that Andrew's friendship with convicted American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein first came under scrutiny. Photographs of the two men walking together in Central Park surfaced in 2010 after Epstein served a prison sentence for having sex with a minor.
In the spring of 2011, the Duke and Epstein were linked again with reports claiming that Andrew had previously stayed at the disgraced financier's homes in Florida and Manhattan.
Once the news broke, the royal was forced to step down as trade envoy in July 2011 which is a title he had held for a decade. In 2015, a woman later identified as Virginia Roberts Giuffre claimed that Epstein had forced her to have sex with Prince Andrew on three separate occasions when she was just 17-years-old.
At the time, a statement from Buckingham Palace slammed the claims against Prince Andrew, insisting they were “categorically untrue”. A Florida judge ruled that the allegations of sexual misconduct against the Duke were “lurid” and “unnecessary” to decide the civil case against Epstein.
Epstein committed suicide in August 2019 while awaiting trial on multiple sex charges and Prince Andrew sat down for a disastrous interview with BBC's Newsnight about his former friendship with the convicted sex offender.
The Duke of York said he did not regret his relationship with Epstein as it gave him useful opportunities to learn and also denied the claims made by Ms Giuffre, whom he claimed he had “no recollection” of ever meeting.
Andrew also alleged he had “no memory” of a 2001 photograph taken of himself and Ms Giuffre and questioned its authenticity. His now infamous interview did not go down well with the public and he was forced to immediately step down from his royal duties as a result.
In his official statement, he said: “It has become clear to me over the last few days that the circumstances relating to my former association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to my family's work and the valuable work going on in the many organisations and charities that I am proud to support.
“Therefore, I have asked Her Majesty if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission.” Ms Giuffre filed a lawsuit against Andrew in New York in August 2021 which the Prince's lawyers deemed “baseless, non-viable and potentially unlawful”.
In January 2022, his lawyers filed a motion to dismiss the case after it was revealed that Giuffre had settled with Epstein in 2009 but the judge rejected this motion meaning Andrew would potentially be taken to trial later in the year.
The late Queen Elizabeth stripped her dishonourable second son of his military affiliations and royal patronages, with a statement from the Palace confirming: “The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen.”
A month later, in February 2022, the Duke settled the sexual assault case against him out of court for an unknown amount of money but continues to vehemently deny all claims.
According to a joint statement from the attorneys, “Prince Andrew intends to make a substantial donation to Ms Giuffre's charity in support of victims' rights. Prince Andrew has never intended to malign Ms Giuffre's character, and he accepts that she has suffered both as an established victim of abuse and as a result of unfair public attacks.”
Since the scandal, the Duke has made very few public appearances with one being when he escorted his mother into Westminster Abbey during Prince Philip's memorial service in March 2022.
He has also joined the royals at certain events including Christmas in Sandringham in December 2022, the traditional Easter Sunday service in Windsor in April and will be making an appearance at the Coronation this week.
Similarly to Mr Myers, royal Gertrude Daly suspects that Andrew “wants to make a comeback”.
She told the Express: “I think Prince Andrew is trying to find a way to come back but in a less visible way, with less media attention. I think Andrew thinks he can still provide value to the monarchy…While Prince Andrew's popularity in the UK may be low, there are a lot of people out there who still like him.
"They might be a minority, but I'm sure they could fill a banquet hall for a charity event. And we've seen hints at it with Sarah's comments, his meeting with the Ambassador for China for Chinese New Year in 2020, the Falklands War Anniversary Instagram post and Andrew entering with the Queen at Prince Philip's Service of Thanksgiving…I think Prince Andrew wants to make a comeback.”
Get the latest celebrity gossip and telly news sent straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily Showbiz newsletter here.
