The Queen will not be taking part in the procession of Garter Knights who walk through the grounds of Windsor Castle to St George’s Hall where the annual service commemorating the Order is held. Given the monarch’s mobility issues the decision was expected and in past years she has travelled by car to the place of worship.
But the Queen is expected to attend the lunch and the investiture ceremony.
Buckingham Palace has also confirmed the disgraced Duke of York will not be appearing in public at the Garter Day service in Windsor but will attend a private lunch and ceremony investing new members of the Order of the Garter. It is understood the decision for Andrew, whose reputation has been severely tarnished by his involvement in a civil sex case lawsuit, not to take part publicly in Garter Day was a “family decision”.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “The Duke of York will attend the investiture and lunch today but will not be part of the procession or service.”
The news came as it was claimed Andrew wanted a return to something approaching his former status as a working member of the royal family. On Sunday, the Telegraph quoted an unnamed source as saying: “The colonelcy of the Grenadier Guards was his most coveted title and he wants it back. Having remained a Counsellor of State, he also believes he should be included at royal and state events.
“Most importantly for him is his status as an HRH and ‘Prince of the Blood’ and he feels that should be reinstated and his position recognised and respected.”
The Queen’s second son stepped away from public life after the furore over his friendship with paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, He reportedly paid £12 million to settle the civil sexual assault case, to a woman he claimed never to have met.
The duke was cast out of the working monarchy after Virginia Giuffre, who was trafficked by Epstein, accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17.
Andrew denied the claims.
In January, ahead of his legal settlement in the case, the Queen stripped Andrew of his honorary military roles, including Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, and he gave up his HRH style. He had been set to join the wider royal family at a service of thanksgiving in St Paul’s Cathedral on the second of the four-day Jubilee celebrations earlier this month but ahead of the ceremony it was announced that he had caught coronavirus.
During Monday’s service, the Duchess of Cornwall will be installed as a Royal Lady of the Order of the Garter. Meanwhile, a protest is expected in Windsor amid opposition to former prime minister Sir Tony Blair being appointed to the oldest and most senior British Order of Chivalry.
It was announced in December that the former Labour leader was to be appointed a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter – the highest possible ranking. More than 1.5 million signatures were gathered on a petition calling for the knighthood to be “rescinded”, claiming he was the “least deserving person of any public honour” and that he should be “held accountable for war crimes”.
Sir Tony was prime minister during the Allied military invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. Stop the War said activists will gather at the Queen Victoria statue outside the castle on Monday in protest at Sir Tony’s appointment.
Also on Monday, Baroness Valerie Amos will be appointed Lady Companion of the Order. The Labour member of the House of Lords, who was the first black person to become a cabinet member, will now also be the first black person appointed Lady Companion of the Order.
