Scottish man arrested after heckling Prince Andrew during Queen Elizabeth procession
A 22-year-old man was arrested in connection with a 'breach of the peace' during the procession of the coffin of the late Queen Elizabeth II on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Chris Marshall, Holyrood Magazine via Storyful)
"Randy Andy" is still being dealt with behind palace doors.
According to multiple reports, the disgraced Duke of York no longer has access to his suite of rooms at Buckingham Palace, which previously housed his royal apartment and office. It is believed his brother, King Charles III, sent the late queen’s favorite son packing.
A spokesperson for the king, 74, told Fox News Digital they had no comment. A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Several royal experts told Fox News Digital they’ve heard rumblings of a royal eviction. They weren’t surprised.
According to reports, Prince Andrew was evicted from his private suites and office at Buckingham Palace. The move was allegedly signed off by King Charles III. (Samir Hussein/WireImage)
"If it is true that he no longer occupies rooms at Buckingham Palace, though this will doubtless be explained away as part of the 10-year renovation of the palace, it is a sign that King Charles and the Prince of Wales are determined that he should in the future be on the periphery of royal life," said royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams. "They are all too aware of the public’s hostility toward him [and] the aura of entitlement… He does not seem inclined to live quietly, privately, possibly to help run the royal estates, which would make sense."
"Since he does not appear to take advice, he remains a danger to the image of the monarchy as he is disinclined to live in the shadows," Fitzwilliams shared. "The institution has to cope with vengeful attacks from an embittered Harry and Meghan. But Andrew, with his refusal to accept what he brought about by his disastrous friendships and personal decisions, is also a danger to it."
The 62-year-old stepped back from royal duties in 2019 amid his controversial connection to the late American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He was also stripped of his honorary military titles. Before her death in 2022, Queen Elizabeth II also removed his honorary leadership of various charities, known as royal patronages, and barred him from using the title "his royal highness" in official settings.
Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, was said to be Queen Elizabeth II's favorite son. (Stephen Pond/Getty Images)
The council in the northern city of York voted unanimously to withdraw the prince’s "freedom of the city." The honor was awarded to Andrew in 1987 after the queen made him the Duke of York. He is the first person to be stripped of the status, an honor that dates back to medieval times. Local leaders have since argued that Andrew should also lose the title of Duke of York. A spokesperson for Andrew declined to comment at the time.
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According to reports, the father of two is allegedly assembling a $12 million "war chest" to launch a legal case against sexual abuse accuser Virginia Giuffre in a bid to force her to retract her allegations. An attorney for the royal didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
"The report that Prince Andrew is to be evicted from his suite of rooms at Buckingham Palace highlights his dilemma," added Fitzwilliams.
Virginia Giuffre has long alleged she was abused by the Duke of York when she was underage. (Getty Images)
Kinsey Schofield, a royal expert and host of the "To Di For Daily" podcast, told Fox News Digital that there’s a good reason why Andrew may be getting the boot from Buckingham Palace — and it’s not just because of the obvious.
"I don't believe this is as nefarious as it sounds," she said. "I've heard that King Charles is looking to open Buckingham Palace up to tourism year-round versus seasonally. Perhaps, he's expediting changes like this and simplifying things due to the incredible volume of tourism and traffic that they anticipate for the coronation. The king would ultimately like to see Buckingham Palace converted into a museum. This could be one step closer to making that happen."
The timing aligns with the upcoming coronation, which takes place May 6. Buckingham Palace announced the weekend festivities will include a star-studded concert at Windsor Castle to be broadcast live by the BBC, along with multiple community and service-based initiatives. Thousands of tourists and locals are expected to be in attendance.
Buckingham Palace is gearing up for King Charles III's coronation on May 6. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
"Buckingham Palace is, symbolically and in fact, where the nitty-gritty work of the monarchy takes place," Christopher Andersen, author of "The King," told Fox News Digital. "The current renovation offers perfect cover for removing some royals and upgrading the quarters of others. Still, the trouble with the overall approach to the ‘Andrew Problem’ is that there is too much overlap. How can Andrew not be seen as a working royal and still be a very visible part of the royal family?"
"If, as had been reported, Andrew is considering taking legal action to undo his settlement in the Epstein-related case, Charles must be tearing his hair out," he shared. "Dredging all this up on what is essentially the eve of his coronation – arguably the most important moment of his life — must seem to Charles like another betrayal from someone he is trying to help."
Royal commentator Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital that insiders revealed: "The king has made it clear. He isn’t a working royal. He’s on his own."
Queen Elizabeth II, England's longest-reigning monarch, died in 2022 at the age of 96. (Max Mumby)
"Prince Andrew, the disgraced younger brother of King Charles, has received royal blow after blow and as many would say, deservedly," she explained. "Last fall the decision was made by the home office to strip him of his 24-hour armed security, with the royal household instead funding the £3 million annual bill to protect him."
"In another royal reshuffle he was stripped of his beloved role as Colonel of Grenadier Guards, which he lost to Queen Consort Camilla," she pointed out. "Now, another status symbol has been removed. Prince Andrew will no longer enjoy a residence at Buckingham Palace…. He used to have an office there… but no more."
According to Fordwich, Andrew recently had a private meeting with the king. Since then, "Andrew has become rather reclusive and by all accounts, to the relief of the palace, ever concerned about appearances, literally and figuratively before the coronation."
Prince Andrew is said to be reclusive following his private meeting with King Charles III. (Steve Parsons/Pool Photo via AP)
Shannon Felton Spence told Fox News Digital that since Andrew is no longer a working member of the royal family, he no longer requires an office, especially in Buckingham Palace. However, the alleged move also sends a clear message: Andrew won’t be returning.
"People have seen the royal family work swiftly to remove Andrew from the fold," she explained. "Even though he is back in the headlines, you’re never going to see him as a working royal again. And so the king has made his feelings very clear on the issue of Andrew. He’s gone. No, he’ll never live life as a commoner. He’ll retain his living quarters at the Royal Lodge. He’ll go to nonworking family events. He received an inheritance from Queen Elizabeth, as did all her children, but he’ll never return to working as a member of the royal family."
"[His daughter] Princess Eugenie just announced she’s pregnant with her second child," Felton Spence shared. "That will make three grandchildren for Andrew and [his ex-wife] Sarah Ferguson. My advice would be to settle into grandparent life and retreat as much as possible from the public eye."
Prince Andrew has denied the allegations made by his accuser, Virginia Giuffre. (Julian Finney - British Athletics/British Athletics via Getty Images | US second court of appeals | Barry Williams/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
In a lawsuit filed in 2020, Giuffre accused the British prince of sexually exploiting her on three occasions in 2001 when she was 17. Though Andrew has denied wrongdoing, he agreed to an out-of-court settlement paid to the American woman in February 2022 amid pressure from Buckingham Palace that damaging headlines were distracting from the queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
The settlement amount was reported to be anywhere between $3.6 million to $14.8 million.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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