The Surprising Reason Prince Andrew Joined King Charles for Easter: A Family Reunion Beyond Royal Duties
Despite stepping back from royal duties in 2019 amid backlash over his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, Prince Andrew joined his brother, King Charles, and other royal family members for their Easter church outing on April 20.
The Duke of York, 65, was seen arriving at the mass in a car with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, alongside his sister Princess Anne and her husband, Sir Timothy Laurence. His two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, also attended the holiday event with their husbands.
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Prince Andrew distanced himself from public duties in 2019 following a controversial BBC interview regarding his connections to Epstein. In January 2022, he was stripped of his military titles and patronages by his mother, Queen Elizabeth, after attempting to dismiss Virginia Giuffre’s sexual assault lawsuit against him.
The Duke has consistently denied any wrongdoing and settled out of court with Giuffre for an undisclosed amount in February 2022.
Although Prince Andrew no longer performs duties on behalf of the monarchy, he has continued to attend family events, including the annual Christmas church walk and funeral services. Easter is viewed as a family occasion, and he also participated last year.
However, he did not publicly attend Christmas events with the royal family in 2024 amid controversy regarding his alleged connection to a suspected Chinese spy. He skipped the traditional Christmas luncheon on December 19 and the church outing on Christmas Day.
Earlier this month, Buckingham Palace issued a rare statement concerning Prince Andrew, regarding private meetings between him, his former aide Dominic Hampshire, and King Charles. Testimony from Hampshire suggested that the brothers had discussed the Eurasia Fund, a venture spearheaded by Prince Andrew aimed at connecting Chinese funding to renewable energy projects in Africa, which was scrutinized for links to an alleged Chinese spy. Yang Tengbo, who was reportedly close to Andrew, was banned from entering the U.K. in December 2024 due to national security concerns.
The palace clarified, “While His Majesty met with the Duke and his adviser to hear outline proposals for independent funding over the past year, the individual known as H6 was not mentioned at any time or in any way as part of these discussions.”
