Prince Andrew, youngest son of Queen Elizabeth II who fell into disgrace after accusations of sexual assault, paid tribute on Sunday and praised his mother’s “compassion” and “her confidence”, on the eve of his national funeral.
With a letter, the Duke of York, 62, paid tribute not only to the Queen, the “mother of the nation”, but above all to her “mum”.
“Mom, your love for a son, your compassion, your care, your trust, I will forever cherish,” Andrew wrote. “I have found your infinite knowledge and wisdom, without limit or restraint”.
Often reputed to be the favorite son of the sovereign, who died on September 8 at the age of 96, Prince Andrew was banned from any official public appearance because of his friendship with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and deprived of his military titles at the start of year after accusations of sexual assault on a 17-year-old girl, Virginia Giuffre.
Threatened with a lawsuit in the United States, he put an end to the lawsuits by paying millions of dollars.
No official role
In March, the queen had seemed to give him a mark of public support by entering Westminster Abbey on his arm for a religious service in tribute to Prince Philip, husband of Elizabeth II who died a year earlier. These images had provoked many indignant reactions.
His presence for the tributes paid for ten days across the United Kingdom has been a headache for the royal family to manage.
If he appeared in recent days alongside his brothers and sister for the processions behind the coffin of Elizabeth II in Edinburgh and then in London, he did not wear the uniform, unlike the rest of the siblings.
But out of ‘respect’ for the Queen, he was still allowed to appear in military dress at the ‘Princes’ Vigil’ on Friday, when he, King Charles, Princess Anne and Prince Edward guarded for fifteen minutes, back to the coffin, their mother’s remains on public display in Westminster Hall.
However, he should not find any official role under Charles III, who, according to the press, would have pushed Elisabeth II to deprive him of his titles so as not to harm the reputation of the family.