Andrew was ‘in tears’ during Charles summit
PRINCE ANDREW was left ‘bereft’ and ‘tearful’ when Charles, as Prince of Wales, told him he would never return to royal duties, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
Andrew’s hopes of returning to public life were dashed at a one-on-one meeting with his older brother that an insider has described as ‘emotional and fraught’. And the devastating decision has left those around the duke concerned for his wellbeing, a source told this newspaper.
Andrew is said to have been ‘blindsided’ by the outcome of the private meeting, held at Charles’s Birkhall estate in Scotland, just days before the queen’s death.
He believes he could ‘still be of value’ as a working member of the British royal family despite his association with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, and has lobbied strenuously to resume his former roles.
But these hopes were quashed in the early-morning meeting, attended only by the two brothers.
‘Andrew was totally blindsided,’ the insider said. ‘He is utterly bereft. He always believed there was a way back.
‘At the meeting, Charles told him that he can go off and have a good life, a nice life, but that his public life as a royal is at an end. He was told, “You have to accept
this.’’’
There will be further evidence of Andrew’s isolation next Sunday, when he will be absent from the London Remembrance Day service at The Cenotaph as, stripped of his official duties, he no longer has a role to play. His status has also been diminished following the death of the Queen, which robbed Andrew not only of his mother but his chief supporter.
‘Andrew was extremely close to the Queen and tried to raise the issue of his return to public life many times with her,’ said the source. ‘On some occasions she would say mildly conciliatory things but most of the time she would change the subject immediately to avoid talking about it.’