THE VOICE OF BRITAIN Don’t let Andrew cast a shadow on 70 glorious years

ON April 21, 1947, these words were spoken by our dear Queen, then Princess Elizabeth, on the occasion of her 21st birthday:

“I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.”

And in the long years since that day, Her Majesty has stuck steadfastly to those words.

Millions of hands have been shaken, countless hours have been spent poring over state papers.

Astonishing secrets have been kept, prime ministers advised, foreign potentates charmed, Britain’s “soft power” exerted in the most troubling times.

But as well as being an exemplary head of state, our Queen is also a mother.

Alas, some of her brood have fallen short of her near-saintly standards.

We have had, for instance, the ghastly spectacle of the Prince of Wales fantasising about being his mistress’s monthlywear.

But that pales into insignificance compared to allegations surrounding her second son, the Duke of York.

We must make it clear that Prince Andrew vehemently denies allegations of noncery.

But some facts are undeniable. He was friends with Jeffrey Epstein, a beast of Savile proportions and continued that relationship even when the scale of the financier’s sex crimes became clear.

He accepted the hospitality of a man who decorated his home with pictures of underage females and surrounded himself with young women.

He was friends with Ghislaine Maxwell, now a proven sex offender, and a procuress for Epstein and his warped circle.

If we can measure a man by the company he keeps, Prince Andrew is seriously wanting.

This year his mother, beloved by all, celebrates 70 years on the glittering throne of the British Empire.

It is an astonishing, unprecedented achievement.

But the shadow of the Andrew allegations threaten to cast a shadow over the delighted celebrations.

We mustn’t let alleged misdemeanours of her son to taint Her Majesty’s radiance.

In the Queen’s twilight years we must concentrate on her glory, her steadfastness, her magnificence and her towering success as a beloved monarch.

And if her unsweating son is proved to like his bananas green, that should not deflect us from paying due homage to our most special Sovereign Lady.