Andrew, the Duke of York, has gone to ground. He is adroitly steering through the persistent issues of his royal birth. Perhaps the clearest sign was his absence from the royal family’s official Easter message, posted on Instagram as always. This lack of engagement further underpins King Charles III’s goal to modernize and streamline the monarchy. Overall, this decision symbolizes and emphasizes the deep change in recent years regarding how the royal family engages with the public.
Since withdrawing from public life in 2019, Prince Andrew has kept a low profile. This decision followed the serious and credible allegations of sexual misconduct. His absence from the Easter Instagram post aligns with King Charles’s broader efforts to redefine the royal family’s image and focus on its core members. Prince Andrew looked on as the Queen attended the Maundy Thursday service at Durham Cathedral. Not even a peep of him could be found in any of the pictures posted to the official @theroyalfamily Instagram account.
At the Maundy Thursday service, Prince Andrew was seen walking and talking with his ex-wife, the Duchess of York, Sarah. That made it their first public appearance together as a family. It follows closely on the heels of scandalous allegations concerning his links to a suspected Chinese spy, deepening his already tenuous status within the royal family. No—he remains a member of the royal family. He no longer officially represents the Crown, a task he performed for decades.
Over the last few months, Prince Andrew has increasingly come under fire. Consequently, he has skipped high-profile boxes to check off, such as joining the royal family’s Christmas Day stroll in Sandringham. The trouble with all the ongoing media attention is that it has put him in a precarious position, rendering public appearances few and far between and closely monitored.
King Charles is deeply reforming the monarchy. By passing over Prince Andrew everywhere in his first communications, King Charles is taking steps to cleverly detach the royal family from the old mess. There is concern that this decision signals a further retreat from equity as a focus. It showcases the younger generation of the royal family, who are leading a much more modern form of royal duty and public engagement.
