PRINCE Andrew is being lined up to accompany the Queen to the Epsom Derby on Platinum Jubilee weekend, reports claim.
The news comes as the duke, who settled a sex abuse case earlier this year, was mired in a fresh financial scandal over the weekend.
The disgraced son of the Queen, 62, will chaperone Her Majesty to the Epsom race meet in June, insiders said.
It is another tip-toe into the limelight following his controversial central role at at Prince Philip’s memorial last week.
Royal expert Natalie Oliveri discussed Andrew’s potential royal return at Epsom Derby on the Australian Today Extra programme.
Ms Oliveri said: “I think it could really backfire for the Royal Family.
“This is not going to be a good look if Prince Andrew does accompany his mother to the Epsom Derby later this year.”
She added: “It will certainly leave a lot of people angry.”
Meanwhile, the Duke has also been linked to a massive money-laundering con.
Turkish multi-millionairess Nebahat Evyap Isbilen alleges banker Selman Turk tricked her out of almost £40million, with £1.1million going to Andrew.
Read our Royal Family live blog below for the latest updates…
- Louis Allwood
John Cleese weighs in on Prince Andrew's presence
Meghan and Harry were absent from the service, while Prince Andrew took centre stage.
Despite paying millions to Virginia Giuffre to settle the case against him just weeks ago, the Duke of York travelled with the Queen and sat next to the 95-year-old monarch throughout the service.
This led social media to weigh in on the matter, including none other than Monty Python member and Fawlty Towers co-creator, John Cleese.
- Louis Allwood
'They got what they wanted'
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been slammed for "criticising" the Royal Family by a US commentator.
Lee Cohen has since claimed the Duchess of Sussex would have "never" received the notoriety had she not married Harry.
Speaking to the Express, Mr Cohen said: "They've earned my scorn because they've treated Harry's family very poorly in all of this.
"I don't feel that it's at all productive for them to be criticising the Royal Family.
"They got what they wanted. They stepped back, they have the notoriety already.
"They certainly never would have obtained the level of publicity that she currently has if she hadn't married into this family."
- Louis Allwood
Queen warned Andrew's Epsom presence is huge PR risk
A Royal reporter has claimed that Prince Andrew's potential appearance at Epsom "will really backfire" for the Family.
Royal expert Natalie Oliveri discussed Andrew's potential royal return at Epsom Derby on the Australian Today Extra programme.
Ms Oliveri said: "I think it could really backfire for the Royal Family.
"This is not going to be a good look if Prince Andrew does accompany his mother to the Epsom Derby later this year."
She added: "It will certainly leave a lot of people angry."
- Joseph Gamp
Joe Gamp here, signing off.
My colleague Louis Allwood is now taking over the blog.
He'll be with you until 10pm this evening.
- Joseph Gamp
Queen Mother sculpture for sale
A sculpture of the Queen Mother that was completed just days after her death has emerged for sale for £35,000 to mark the 20th anniversary of her death.
It was created by renowned artist Vivien Mallock, an associate of the Royal Society of British Sculptors.
The life-size bronze was commissioned by St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, west London, where the Queen Mother had been president.
It was one of three made; the second is owned by the Goring Hotel where the Queen Mother enjoyed taking tea.
Ms Mallock had kept hold of the third, but has now decided to offer it for sale.
Credit: Times Newspapers Ltd - Joseph Gamp
Explained: Who are viscounts in England?
In the UK, a viscount is a fourth rank peerage, coming after Dukes, Marquesses and Earls.
They often acted as county sheriffs until 1440, when King Henry VI turned then into noble, hereditary titles.
They were mostly held by dukes, marquesses and earls.
In British tradition, the title of a viscount may be either a place name, a surname, or a combination of the two.
A British viscount is addressed in speech as "Lord" and his wife "Lady" and he is formally called "The Right Honourable The Viscount [X]".
Their children are addressed as "The Honourable" but in Scotland they're called "The Honourable Master of [X]".
The first peerage was recorded in 1440 when Jean Beaumont was created Viscount Beaumont by King Henry VI.
Current viscounts include:
- Viscount Severn from the Mountbatten-Windsor family
- Viscount Macmillan of Ovenden
- Viscount Dihorne from the Manningham-Buller family
- Viscount Blakenham
- Viscount Eccles
- Viscount Mills
- Viscount Boyd of Merton
Explained: What is a viscount?
In many European countries, a viscount was an administrative or judicial position.
It was non-hereditary, which meant the title would not be passed down the generations.
The role was open to men (viscount) and women (viscountess).
The word derives from old French "visconte" which comes from Medieval Latin to mean deputy or companion.
In certain empires, a viscount was appointed by the king to help administer provinces and small regions as governors and military commanders.
Duke's aides bemused by Falklands statement
The Duke of York is said to have left aides blindsided by an account of his experience in the Falklands War shared on his former wife's Instagram page.
Andrew, 62, who flew missions as a Sea King helicopter pilot during the conflict, described returning from the Falklands "a changed man" in a 700- word statement shared by Sarah, Duchess of York, on Saturday.
Buckingham Palace and Andrew's team was unaware he had published the account, which was uploaded over three posts and deleted two hours later.
The musings had been signed off as "written by HRH The Duke of York", despite Buckingham Palace saying in January that he would no longer be styled as His Royal Highness.
Andrew lost his royal patronages and military affiliations at the same time as the fallout from the civil sex case he was fighting in the US. He has since settled out of court with his accuser, Virginia Roberts Guiffre, for a reported £7 million. He has always denied any wrongdoing.
The "HRH" reference was removed before the posts were deleted. The account had started with the Duchess, 62, explaining that she had "asked Andrew for his reflections" to mark 40 years since the start of the war.
In the posts, Andrew, whom she still lives with, recalled: "I was flying and saw a chaff shell fired from one of our ships that passed not that far in front of us." He famously drew on his combat experience when he gave a disastrous Newsnight interview in which he disputed his accuser's claim that he had been sweating heavily on a night out, explaining that combat experience had left him unable to perspire.
More news on Prince Andrew
Andrew was criticised this week for accompanying the Queen to Westminster Abbey.
He has also been linked to a massive money-laundering con. Turkish multi-millionairess Nebahat Evyap Isbilen alleges banker Selman Turk tricked her out of almost £40million, with £1.1million going to Andrew.
High Court papers allege £750,000 was a “gift” to help finance his daughter Princess Beatrice’s wedding.
Yet it took place in July 2020 at the height of the Covid pandemic with less than 20 guests.
Andrew has since repaid the sum in full, although the fate of the remaining £350,000 remains unclear.
There is no suggestion Beatrice knew what went on.
A total of £225,000 was also paid to his ex Sarah Ferguson for her ambassador work for a US solar panel firm.
Last night sources said she expected the company to pay it back in full.
- Joseph Gamp
Jeremy Clarkson issues warning to William
Jeremy Clarkson has issued a warning to Prince William after it was claimed the royal planned to drop the “never complain, never explain” policy.
The former presenter warned the Duke of Cambridge about dropping the “never explain” policy, adding that it didn’t work out very well for Prince Andrew.
Writing in his latest column for The Sun, he said: “It was claimed this week that Prince William is set to drop the royal policy of ‘never complain, never explain’.
“I’m not sure this is a good idea. We all remember what happened with Prince Andrew.”
- Joseph Gamp
Househunting Kate & William also eyeing up schools
House-hunting Kate and Wills are also considering schools in Windsor, Bucks and Surrey.
They have additionally looked around Lambrook School, in Ascot, where parents have said Prince George will start soon.
There are also claims the couple want George and Charlotte to go to the same school, which opens up the possibility of Marlborough College, Wilts, where Kate was Head Girl.
Last week, she told Jamaican politician and Old Marlburian Mark Golding: "I loved my time there."
- Joseph Gamp
William and Kate 'want to move to Windsor' to be nearer the Queen
PRINCE William and Kate want to move to Windsor as soon as this summer to be nearer the Queen.
The Cambridges are said to have checked out various royal mansions at Windsor, including Prince Andrew's Royal Lodge but he will not budge.
The pair, who split their time between Norfolk and Kensington Palace, are now looking at private homes.
Kate, 40, and Wills, 39, have ruled out Fort Belvedere, once home to King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson, on the edge of Windsor Great Park. Insiders claim they also eyed up Frogmore House, where they often take George, eight, Charlotte, six, and Louis, three, to play at weekends.
There were also rumours that the couple could take Adelaide Cottage in the shadow of Windsor Castle but it is currently being lived in.
And royal sources have dismissed claims the couple are to have apartments in Windsor Castle.
- Joseph Gamp
Andrew introduced to ‘fraudster’ who ‘gave him £1 million’
PRINCE Andrew was introduced to an alleged fraudster who gave him £1 million by a convicted Libyan gun runner, it was claimed.
The Duke of York and his former wife Sarah Ferguson received “suspicious” payments on the orders of Selman Turk, a former Goldman Sachs banker, as part of a £40m international fraud, it is alleged.
Tarek Kaituni was convicted in 2005 of smuggling a sub-machinegun into France.
He was invited to Princess Beatrice‘s 21st birthday party in Spain in August 2009, where he also gave her a diamond pendant worth £18,000, and attended the wedding of Princess Eugenie in 2018.
Kaituni, who has US citizenship, would later brag of his influence over the Duke of York, and helped set up secret meetings with Libyan dictator, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
Mr Turk was reportedly introduced to Prince Andrew by Tarek Kaituni at a birthday party at Windsor Castle in the early summer of 2019, the Telegraph reports.
Read more here.
- Joseph Gamp
Outrage as Andrew lined up to 'chaperone Queen at Epsom Derby'
PRINCE Andrew is being lined up to accompany the Queen to the Derby on Platinum Jubilee weekend, reports have claimed.
The news came as the duke, who settled a sex abuse case earlier this year, was mired in a fresh financial scandal over the weekend.
The 62-year-old will chaperone Her Majesty to the Epsom race meet in June, insiders said.
It is another tip-toe into the limelight following his controversial central role at at Prince Philip’s memorial last week.
A source said: “He was meant to stay invisible during the Platinum Jubilee so there is no way he will be at events like Trooping the Colour.
“But the Queen needs a chaperone on all occasions at the moment due to her mobility issues and Andrew has earmarked the Derby as the one he will accompany her at. He just doesn’t seem to understand the public outcry.”
Meanwhile, the Duke has also been linked to a massive money-laundering con. Turkish multi-millionairess Nebahat Evyap Isbilen alleges banker Selman Turk tricked her out of almost £40million, with £1.1million going to Andrew.
- Joseph Gamp
Diana would have not ‘moved away’ like Harry & Meg
Princess Diana’s royal chef says she would have never ‘moved away’ like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Chef Darren McGrady, who cooked for Princess Diana, thinks she wouldn’t have left the country like The Duke and Duchess of Sussex did in 2020.
In an interview with Coffee Friend, McGrady said: “I think the whole world was surprised, not just me.
“It was definitely a shock. It was sad for me being a royalist, having worked for the family for 15 years, having seen the boys play together and how close they were. Princess Diana would have been sad that their boys don’t have the same relationship now.”
McGrady also added: “Would she have been thrilled that Harry was moving away from royal service? She understood that the Queen came first, I don’t believe she ever did anything to really offend the Queen.
“She would have never had moved away, that is purely because of her boys. She would never have moved to another country and left her young boys in the U.K. She’d grown up with her parents separated. There’s no way she would have abandoned her children. Would she have had a place in Malibu? I think so, she’d have had a beach house. Yeah absolutely.”
- Joseph Gamp
William will ‘carve own path’
A former aide to the Queen, Dickie Arbiter, has said Prince William will “carve his own path” when he becomes Prince of Wales.
The former press spokesman for Queen Elizabeth II responded to the Mail On Sunday’s reports William will see the “the reinvention of the role of Prince of Wales”.
On Twitter, Arbiter said: “Note to editor – can’t reinvent when there isn’t a defined role.
“Prince Charles carved his in the 1970s with the Princes Trust. Prince William will carve his own path.”
- Milica Cosic
Andrew ‘to accompany Queen to the Derby’
SHAMED Prince Andrew is earmarked to accompany the Queen to the Derby on Platinum Jubilee weekend.
It came as the duke, who settled a sex abuse case earlier this year, was yesterday mired in a fresh financial scandal.
Insiders said the 62-year-old is set to chaperone his mother to the Epsom race meet in June, following his controversial central role at Prince Philip’s memorial last week.
A source said: “He was meant to stay invisible during the Platinum Jubilee so there is no way he will be at events like Trooping the Colour.
“But the Queen needs a chaperone on all occasions at the moment due to her mobility issues and Andrew has earmarked the Derby as the one he will accompany her at.
“He just doesn’t seem to understand the public outcry.”
- Joseph Gamp
Caribbean groups form coalition to remove Queen as head of state
Following the royal trip Kate Middleton and Prince William embarked on last month, black and indigenous groups from Jamaica, Belize and The Bahamas have united as part of a push for slavery reparations from the UK.
The move could ultimately oust the Queen as head of state in the three nations.
In a statement, reported by the Independent, the Bahamas National Reparations Committee (BNRC), the Advocacy Network in Jamaica and the indigenous Maya people of Belize slammed the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s recent royal tour.
They said: “We stand united in rejecting the so-called charm offensive tour of the Caribbean undertaken by William and Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, which is in sharp opposition to the needs and aspirations of indigenous peoples and people of African descent in the Caribbean.
“We stand united in condemning Britain’s savagery in enslaving our ancestors, the coarse indecency of colonial exploitation, the brutality of its enforcers, and the enduring legacies of impoverishment and colonial-era ideologies that have damaged and continue to damage our people, our society and our economy.
“Going forward, we will stand stronger, united in our call for reparatory justice and in supporting the roadmap for redress laid out by the CARICOM Reparations Commission.
“We will stand strong, united in our celebration of the resilience of Caribbean people who have accomplished much since our independence, against the odds, and we commit to continuing in this tradition in tackling contemporary challenges, rooting out all vestiges of our post-colonial past and empowering our people to achieve more.”
- Milica Cosic
Kate and William to 'copy Beckham'
It has been claimed that Kate Middleton and Prince William have been backed to copy David Beckham, as they pursue a "Hollywood-esque" media image.
Popular culture expert Nick Ede has said that Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are likely to do something similar to Beckham in terms of handing over control their Instagram in order to "allow others who haven't got a voice to use their platform."
Speaking to Express.co.uk, Mr Ede said: "I think they will be more likely to be doing Hollywood-esque films, which are being really well edited, made by great editors.
"But I think also they could do something like David Beckham did when he lent his Instagram to somebody in Ukraine to talk about their plight, which I think is really strong.
"And that is something they may do, to allow others who haven't got a voice to use their platform."
He added: "They have to be much more impartial than an influencer, but I think they can tell stories in a really nice strategic way and really educate us."
- Milica Cosic
Queen carried two poignant handbag items at Philip’s service
During Tuesday’s thanksgiving service at Westminster Abbey for Prince Philip, it has been reported that the Queen carried two special items in her handbag.
To help give her comfort the Mirror has reported Her Majesty kept keepsakes from her marriage to Philip—a photo of the couple as newlyweds, and a white handkerchief of her late husband’s.
The photo the Queen carried, it is reported, was one of she and the love of her life during the years she lived in Malta – from 1949 to 1951—where Philip was stationed in the Royal Navy.
The other item tucked into her handbagwas a white handkerchief made by Savile Row tailors Kent & Haste, a trademark of Philip’s.
It has been reported that he used to fold the handkerchiefs into squares in a classic style, and put into his breast pocket.
- Milica Cosic
Queen allowed Andrew at Philip’s service because she’s ‘frail’
Speaking to GB News on Wednesday, royal commentator Dickie Arbiter told GB News he doesn’t expect to see the Duke of York attend public Royal events again.
Mr Arbiter told Colin Brazier: “I doubt we will see him again.”
Mr Arbiter went on to defend the decision to allow the Duke of York to escort the Queen, saying: “None of the family acknowledged him, I think quite frankly we’ve got to move on.
“The guy was there because it was his Dad’s thanksgiving service.
“The fact that he accompanied his mother kind of makes sense because the Queen is frail…”
- Milica Cosic
William and Kate’s ‘diary clash’ on royal tour
Prince Charles was annoyed William and Kate’s eight-day Caribbean tour, according to reports.
This is because it clashed with his and Camilla’s a long-planned trip to Ireland where they visited Tipperary and Waterford in the South.
A source close to Charles said: “Ireland is one of the most important relationships so there was a little consternation over the timing to say the least.
“There is not usually a clash of diaries in this way.”
- Milica Cosic
‘Andrew innocent in the eyes of the Queen’
According to a royal expert, Prince Andrew is innocent in the eyes of the Queen.
Katie Nicholl, Royal Editor of Vanity Fair, said on True Royalty TV that by the Monarch allowing him to escort her to Prince Philip’s memorial service, it demonstrates she “believes he is innocent” and will continue to “make her own decisions.”
- Milica Cosic
Queen Mother sculpture for sale
A sculpture of the Queen Mother that was completed just days after her death has emerged for sale for £35,000 to mark the 20th anniversary of her death.
It was created by renowned artist Vivien Mallock, an associate of the Royal Society of British Sculptors.
The life-size bronze was commissioned by St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, west London, where the Queen Mother had been president.
It was one of three made; the second is owned by the Goring Hotel where the Queen Mother enjoyed taking tea.
Ms Mallock had kept hold of the third, but has now decided to offer it for sale.
Sculptor Vivien Mallock and her bronze bust of the Queen Mother.Credit: Times Newspapers Ltd - Milica Cosic
Andrew introduced to ‘fraudster’ who ‘gave him £1 million’
PRINCE Andrew was introduced to an alleged fraudster who gave him £1 million by a convicted Libyan gun runner, it was claimed.
The Duke of York and his former wife Sarah Ferguson received "suspicious" payments on the orders of Selman Turk, a former Goldman Sachs banker, as part of a £40m international fraud, it is alleged.
Tarek Kaituni was convicted in 2005 of smuggling a sub-machinegun into France.
He was invited to Princess Beatrice's 21st birthday party in Spain in August 2009, where he also gave her a diamond pendant worth £18,000, and attended the wedding of Princess Eugenie in 2018.
Kaituni, who has US citizenship, would later brag of his influence over the Duke of York, and helped set up secret meetings with Libyan dictator, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
Mr Turk was reportedly introduced to Prince Andrew by Tarek Kaituni at a birthday party at Windsor Castle in the early summer of 2019, the Telegraph reports.
Read more here.
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