A viral video showed the strange exchange Prince Andrew had with well-wishers during the royal family's annual Christmas Walk to St. Mary Magdalene near Sandringham House in Norfolk on December 25.
The clip shows the Duke of York seemingly having a problem with the public recording the stroll. He approached a group and asked "How are you? Where have you come from?" in a video shared by the Daily Mail.
A well-wisher answered that they were from Spalding. The 63-year-old royal then commented on those taking videos and said: "I find this fascinating. Why does everybody have their cameras on? But why do that?"
Another person replied: "We're not the press" which prompted laughter from the crowd. Prince Andrew clarified that it is "not about whether you are the press or not" and continued: "It's just, why video?"
A well-wisher responded: "Cause it's just lovely, lovely moments" but Prince Andrew did not seem dissuaded.
"You ought to come and stand on this side and see what it's like. All you have is a lot of cameras facing you," he continued, adding: "It's a really bizarre sensation."
Some of the peasants thought it was a "lovely moment" to see & shake the hand of pedo #PrinceAndrew during Christmas at Sandringham. His response:pic.twitter.com/xjXGa7oWht
— Nelly (@ValleyGirl629) January 7, 2024
The Duchess of York's presence marked the first time she joined the royals in celebrating Christmas in Sandringham since the 1990s, after she split from the Duke of York in 1992. They officially divorced in 1996 but they have remained friends and still live under the same roof at Royal Lodge in Windsor.
The moment marked a rare conversation with Prince Andrew captured on camera, as he is no longer a working member of the royal family and rarely attends official royal outings. He retreated from public life in 2019 because of the scandal brought by his friendship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
He was also stripped of his royal patronages and military titles in January last year by the late Queen Elizabeth II after he was accused of rape and sexual assault by Virginia Roberts Giuffre. He settled the case out of court but has since denied any wrongdoing.
However, recently unsealed legal documents in New York only further taints Prince Andrew's image as he was named among Epstein's list of high-profile clients. The papers also mentioned he engaged in sexual relations with Giuffre in three separate occasions.
