The disgraced former Prince could reportedly still be entitled to a full royal funeral
A royal commentator has put forward his verdict in light of speculation that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor will be granted an elaborate royal funeral when he passes. Claims emerged on Sunday (August 9) suggesting the former Duke of York would receive a ceremonial send-off upon his death, despite his dramatic fall from grace.
A report in the Mail on Sunday claimed that Andrew remains on a confidential list of royals entitled to high-profile funerals as part of the UK Government’s ‘bridge’ plans, which set out funeral arrangements for members of the Royal Family well in advance.
It has been suggested that as part of the existing plans Andrew, who has been exiled to the outer fringes of the Sandringham Estate, would receive a tribute comparable to that of Princess Margaret in 2002. On that occasion, flags were flown at half mast across all royal residences and a six-day period of mourning was observed.
Princess Margaret’s coffin lay in state at Kensington Palace to allow family members to pay their final respects, while thousands lined the streets as the cortège made its way to Windsor, where 30 royals formed part of a 400-strong congregation at a private service held in St George’s Chapel.
However, royal expert Tom Sykes has indicated that Andrew’s continued presence on the list is nothing more than a straightforward administrative oversight, reports the Express.
Writing in his Royalist Substack, the former Eton pupil pointed out that Andrew was “only officially kicked out of the royal family in October last year, and he doesn’t appear to be at death’s door”. He expects briefings to emerge in the coming days confirming it is “actually just an oversight, and that it’s simply the case that nobody has got around to changing the plans yet.”
Sykes added: “I feel pretty confident saying Andrew’s body won’t be getting a carriage procession through the streets of London…when the time comes, he’ll be buried with a minimum of fuss, I promise you.”
News of the potentially lavish funeral arrangements provoked fury among victims of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, with whom Andrew maintained a close friendship. Andrew himself has consistently and firmly denied allegations of wrongdoing while in the company of Epstein.
Gloria Allred, a US-based lawyer who has represented 27 of Epstein’s victims, said: “Andrew has brought disgrace upon the Royal Family and the UK as a result of his involvement with Jeffrey Epstein. Under these circumstances, the question arises as to why this man should be afforded the honour of a royal funeral.”
She added: “What kind of message would such a ceremony send to Epstein’s victims? Additionally, why should UK taxpayers bear the burden of paying his expenses either in life or after his death?”
Alicia Kearns, Tory shadow Home Office minister, said: “There are no circumstances under which Andrew should be afforded a royal funeral. He should live out his days far from public life, and the police and CPS should ensure their investigations into him are robust and don’t drag on. All such plans should be revoked immediately.”
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