Queen Elizabeth's funeral could be 'last we see' of Prince Andrew with family: royal expert
Prince Andrew, Queen Elizabeth's second son, could be distanced from the royal family, expert says: 'King Charles doesn't want him around'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}With King Charles III having ascended the British throne following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II, there's a possibility her upcoming funeral will mark the last time Prince Andrew is seen with the rest of the royal family, according to one expert.
Andrew stepped back from royal duties in 2019 after a scandal involving the late American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
"Probably the biggest drama was with Prince Andrew," Shannon Felton Spence, a former British public affairs official and royal expert, told Fox News Digital. "If anything was causing the queen stress, it was him; he was a real, real crisis."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}While at first it appeared that he was not traveling with the rest of the royal family to Balmoral upon the news of the monarch's death, that turned out to be untrue.
QUEEN ELIZABETH II REMEMBERED AS KING CHARLES III ASCENDS THE BRITISH THRONE
As King Charles III, right, ascends the throne, Prince Andrew's life will drastically change, according to a royal expert. (Peter Nicholls)
"We know he [Andrew] was there. He was in the car with William," Spence explained. "He was the second-born son, so he is going to be around. Charles and William had different opinions of how he should be handled than that of the queen. The queen said he could be more visible during the Jubilee, but Charles and William were not having it. Using the COVID excuse was the only way around it."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}LIVE UPDATES: QUEEN ELIZABETH II'S 70-YEAR-REIGN ENDS; KING CHARLES III TAKES THRONE
In June 2022, during celebrations of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee to mark her 70 years on the throne, Prince Andrew was notably absent.
Queen Elizabeth II died Thursday at age 96. (Getty Images)
The Duke of York, who is a knight in the Order of the Garter, did not appear in the public procession or any public aspects of the ceremony despite being listed in the official program.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
"Though it was his mom, I don’t think Andrew will be front and center at the funeral and the upcoming events," Spence added. "His boss now is King Charles, and he doesn’t have the same fondness for Andrew as his mother did. He will be at the funeral and other official things, but I would not be surprised if this will be the last we see of Andrew with the family. King Charles doesn’t want him around."
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Andrew, Duke of York, watch a flypast from the balcony of Buckingham Palace during Trooping The Color, the queen's annual birthday parade, June 8, 2019, in London. (Max Mumby)
The queen wasn't the only royal family member Andrew was close with. In addition, his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson and their two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, have maintained a strong bond as a family. Fergie, as she is affectionately known, was also extremely close with the queen and expressed her heartbreak upon her death.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
In March, Andrew reached a multimillion-pound settlement with a woman who accused him of sexual exploitation. He was stripped of his honorary military titles following the allegations and scandal.