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Prince Andrew will be turning the big 6-0 on Feb. 19 but there are two royal guests who will be noticeably absent from the royal family get-together.
U.K.-based broadcaster Neil Sean told Fox News that Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, reportedly won’t be returning from Canada for the royal’s birthday.
Andrew is Harry’s uncle as well as Queen Elizabeth II’s third child and second son. The Duke of York is eighth in the line of succession to the British throne. In November 2019, Andrew announced he asked his mother, 93, if he can “step back” from his public duties following a disastrous interview with the BBC about his relationship with the financier and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
“A mole [told] me, ‘It’s an open secret they declined the invite but it’s not very nice for the queen as, whatever people say and think, he is [still] her son and she wanted her close family around her,’” Sean alleged. “’The reason given is that they already have commitments on the day but also plan to send a gift/card and a video message to be played at the party.”
According to Sean, the reigning monarch originally had plans for a party in honor of her son’s birthday, which would also celebrate his charities. However, a palace source told him that Elizabeth “is [now] understood to be holding only a small family dinner.”
(L-R) Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Britain's Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Britain's Prince Andrew, Duke of York. (KIRSTY WIGGLESWORTH/AFP via Getty Images)
And while Andrew is laying low following the ongoing scandal and nuclear interview, Sean said he will make an appearance for his daughter Princess Beatrice’s wedding in May.
The royal family announced on its official social media accounts that Princess Beatrice of York will tie the knot to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi on May 29, 2020.
"The wedding of HRH Princess Beatrice of York and Mr. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi will take place on Friday 29 May 2020. The couple became engaged in Italy in September 2019," the statement reads.
"Her Majesty The Queen has kindly given permission for the ceremony to take place at The Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace. The ceremony will be followed by a private reception, given by The Queen, in the gardens of Buckingham Palace."
A source told People magazine that Beatrice and Mozzi's wedding will be a "low-key" celebration amid reports that the ceremony will not be televised due to Andrew's connection to Epstein.
PRINCESS BEATRICE’S WEDDING DATE, ‘LOW-KEY’ PLANS REVEALED: REPORT
This undated photo released by Buckingham Palace shows Britain's Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, in Italy. Prince Andrew and his former wife Sarah Ferguson announced on Thursday, Sept. 25, 2019, the engagement of their elder daughter, Princess Beatrice to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. (Photo by Princess Eugenie/Buckingham Palace via AP)
Sean said it’s uncertain whether The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will travel across the pond for Beatrice’s big day.
“Fans will have to wait and see if Meghan and Harry attend this event,” he said. “A mole [told] me, ‘Beatrice really got on well with Meghan and is sad she left, but so far they have been unable to keep that friendship going.’ Others though [say] that Meghan values her own PR and believes any association right now with the brand of York may not be that great for the couple earning power outside the royal family.”
Andrew didn’t attend Beatrice’s engagement party in London, which was held in December 2019, People magazine previously reported. It is believed he skipped the festivities, hosted by Mozzi’s mother at Chiltern Firehouse, due to the ongoing controversy surrounding his connection to Epstein.
However, the outlet shared Andrew has remained incredibly close to his family, including his ex-wife. In addition, he has continued to spend time with his mother. They were seen together exchanging smiles during a church outing on Jan. 19 and then spotted horseback riding around the Windsor Castle estate.
In January, authorities announced Andrew has refused to cooperate with federal investigators as they continue their probe into Epstein.
PRINCE ANDREW HAS ‘PROVIDED ZERO COOPERATION’ IN JEFFREY EPSTEIN PROBE, AUTHORITIES SAY
Photo from 2001 that was included in court files released last week shows Prince Andrew with his arm around the waist of 17-year-old Virginia Giuffre who says Jeffrey Epstein paid her to have sex with the prince. Andrew has denied the charges. In the background is Epstein's girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell. (Florida Southern District Court) (U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals)
According to the New York Post, Manhattan US Attorney Geoffrey Berman told reporters at a news conference outside Epstein’s former Upper East Side residence that federal prosecutors reached out to Andrew and have been struggling to get the prince to agree to sit down with them.
Berman told the press outside the mansion: “The Southern District of New York and the FBI have contacted Prince Andrew’s attorneys and requested to interview Prince Andrew, and to date, Prince Andrew has provided zero cooperation.”
Andrew is accused of having sex with at least one of the women Epstein allegedly trafficked.
Berman said he elected to share Andrew’s reluctance to cooperate simply because the prince “publicly offered, indeed in a press release, to cooperate with law enforcement investigating the crimes committed by Jeffrey Epstein and his co-conspirators.”
Prince Andrew (right) is dealing with harsh backlash from critics and media personalities over an interview about his relationship with now-deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the numerous sexual assault allegations against the British royal. (Getty)
MEGHAN MARKLE, PRINCE HARRY 'WERE BULLIED OUT OF THE ROYAL FAMILY,' AUTHOR CLAIMS
A royal insider told the Post in an e-mail: “This issue is being dealt with by The Duke of York’s legal team. Buckingham Palace will not be commenting further on this particular matter.”
Andrew has vehemently denied any claims of wrongdoing at the hands of his relationship with Epstein.
Epstein, 66, was found unresponsive in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City in August. Despite the fact the financier died behind bars awaiting trial for sex trafficking, the top prosecutor said the feds’ investigation into his sex abuse network will continue because “Jeffrey Epstein couldn’t have done what he did without the assistance of others.”
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“And I can assure you that the investigation is moving forward,” Berman added.
Fox News’ Julius Young contributed to this report.
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