Today, however, the heads would have turned even more to see a particular knight wearing a plump hat: Prince Andrew. But his plan to return to a public role in today’s ceremony changed after his family intervened at the last minute. It is reported that both Prince Charles and Prince William opposed the plan for Andrew to appear in public today. The appearance of the Duke of York, in his ornaments, could have been approved at the top, but there was considerable concern among royalty and courtiers in some of the other households. A senior royal source says that their strong views on the presence of Prince Andrew today are not simply repeated in public. Pictured in 2019: Princess Basilica, the Duke of York, the Earl of Wessex, King Felipe of Spain and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. Credit: PA Andrew planned to reunite with other members of his family and the other Knights Garter for the annual meeting at Windsor Castle. The fact that Andrew had been allowed to attend the service suggests that both he and, most importantly, the Queen, considered it a good time to begin the process of publicly rebuilding his life. The Duke had planned to attend the entire ceremony, including the service in the chapel of St. George, the majestic procession and the meal of the members of the tradition. But now Prince Andrew, who has been Knight Garter since 2006, will only be tracking the day’s private details. The Queen’s second son has kept a very low profile – based on his home at the Royal Lodge on the Windsor estate – since settling his legal case in the United States with his accuser of sexual assault. The only notable exception was the Thanksgiving service for his father, Prince Philip, when Andrew accompanied the widow Queen in her place at Westminster Abbey. It did not pass without controversy. It comes just a week after an infection from Covid kept him away, some could conveniently claim, from the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. He was supposed to attend the service of St. Paul’s Cathedral only on Friday, but he did not succeed. Prince Andrew resigned from the royal family after his disastrous interview with Newsnight, and earlier this year he was stripped of his military titles and royal sponsorship by the Queen, shortly before settling his resignation with Virginia Giuffre. Prince Andrew always denied the allegations made against him. The Order of the Garter was founded by King Edward III in medieval times – and is the oldest and highest chivalric order in Britain. The royal and non-royal are members of the small but exclusive club of honorary knights of the Order of the Garter. The Queen is the Sovereign of Garter and has personally chosen the senior members of her family to become Garter Knights along with 24 other public officials who have contributed to or personally served national life. Prince Philip was a Knight Garter, as was Winston Churchill. Current members include Sir John Major, former MI5 chief Eliza Manningham-Buller and former Bank of England Governor Mervyn King. During the service, members of the royal family walk in procession to St George’s Chapel and depart for Windsor Castle in carriages. Buckingham Palace will not confirm the Queen’s presence at the event until just hours before it starts. For the latest royal news, listen to our podcast The Royal Rota: Today, the Duchess of Cornwall will join the ranks – an important moment as the Queen expressed her desire to make Camilla known as Queen earlier this year when Charles becomes King. Camilla will be installed as the Royal Lady of the Order of Garter. Also on the list to be installed today as a Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter is a “Sir Anthony Blair” – best known to all as former Prime Minister Tony Blair. A protest by the Stop the War coalition is planned outside Windsor Castle, which still holds Mr Blair responsible for the mistakes of the Iraq war in 2003. It is a time when politics in recent years will clash class of chivalry dating from old to 1348. The other young carpenter on Monday will be Baroness Amos – the first black woman to serve as a cabinet minister and former speaker of the House of Lords. Valerie Amos also worked for the UN and served as High Commissioner for Australia. Unlike her former boss, Tony Blair, her installation as Lady Companion of the Order of the Garter is not controversial. If Prince Andrew had participated in the public part of today’s Service for the Noblest Order of the Garter, he would have been remembered for the presence of Prince Andrew. The belated change of plan raises questions about whether this event – or any event with other members of the Royal Family – is the right time to try to get back into public life.
