Prince Andrew Spotted With Queen Elizabeth For The First Time Since He Stepped Away From Royal Duties

Source: Twitter

Queen Elizabeth may have “fired” Prince Andrew from his royal duties after his disastrous interview with the BBC. But in an apparent sign of solidarity, the monarch was recently spotted with her second-oldest son on the grounds of Windsor Castle when they rode horses together.

According to The Daily Mail, the Queen took her “favorite son” riding in the rain just two days after he stepped back from his royal duties because of his connection to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Rumor has it that Prince Charles was behind the decision to keep Prince Andrew away from royal duties because the soon-to-be king is afraid that the scandal could threaten the future of the royal family. Prince Charles is reportedly flying home from New Zealand to “read him the riot act.”

A source said the Queen and Prince Charles were both involved in discussions leading up to Prince Andrew stepping aside from royal duties in the wake of his involvement in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. https://t.co/dApU68q2u4

— CNN International (@cnni) November 22, 2019

Prince Andrew was scheduled to fly to Bahrain this weekend for an event related to his Pitch@Palace initiative, but insiders say his family talked him out of it and forced him to retire from royal life because there is just no going back after that interview, which has turned into a public relations nightmare for the family. After the interview aired, Prince Charles was heckled during his royal tour in New Zealand.

No matter if it was Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, or Prince Andrew himself that decided it was time for Andrew to retire, there is no doubt that his connection with Epstein – a convicted sex offender – is not a good look for the royal family. And, the fact that Prince Andrew appeared to have zero remorse during the interview and expressed no empathy for the victims made things even worse.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B45hF8DlXMg/

Still, Andrew appeared upbeat as he waved and smiled when he left his home in Windsor Great Park. And, his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson smiled when she arrived at Buckingham Palace, and she says she will continue to support him no matter what.

“Andrew is a true and real gentleman and is stoically steadfast to not only his duty but also his kindness and goodness of always seeing the best in people,” Ferguson wrote on Instagram. “I am deeply supportive and proud of this giant of a principled man, that dares to put his shoulder to the wind and stands firm with his sense of honor and truth.”

BBC interview with 'sex slave' Virginia Roberts will air on December 2 https://t.co/Vd4ZfGKjEb

— Mail+ (@DailyMailUK) November 22, 2019

Even though Prince Andrew has stepped away from his public duties, a source says he will continue to work on private initiatives.

“Despite everything, the duke is getting a lot of support,” says the insider. “The entrepreneurs he helps have been tremendously sweet and kind. This really feels like a witch-hunt. He’d been hounded about this since 2011 non stop. So he’s very positive about it actually. He can concentrate on clearing his name.”

Epstein’s victim Virginia Roberts – who claims she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew three separate times when she was just 17 years old – will reportedly respond to the royal’s interview when she sits down with BBC Panorama on December 2nd.