Royal Humiliation: Queen Elizabeth II Strips Off Prince Andrew's Royal Title?
Prince Andrew has been continuously slapped with the fact that he is now a royal without a role. This time, on his birthday, Queen Elizabeth II herself omitted the Duke's royal title.
In line with the 60th birthday celebration of Prince Andrew, Buckingham Palace sent their message to the Duke of York through its official Twitter account along with a baby photo and the most recent portrait of him.
"On this day in 1960, Prince Andrew was born at Buckingham Palace, the first child born to a reigning monarch for 103 years. Happy Birthday to The Duke of York," the caption read.
On this day in 1960, Prince Andrew was born at Buckingham Palace, the first child born to a reigning monarch for 103 years.
Happy Birthday to The Duke of York. pic.twitter.com/zoZErBHQbG — The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) February 19, 2020
While it looked like a normal greeting, it became headline-worthy after people noticed that the "His Royal Highness" title of Prince Andrew got dropped from the message.
The tweet called the scandal-hit Duke as Prince Andrew and not HRH, despite including the title "HRH The Duke of York" previously in 2018 and 2019.
Though the Buckingham Palace has not yet confirmed the reason behind the bombshell omission, it sparked rumors that the HRH title of Prince Andrew might have been stripped off him.
What The Palace Spokeswoman Said
Despite rumors about Prince Andrew no longer having the rights to use his HRH title, a Palace spokeswoman exclusively told Daily Star Online that the tweet "followed their house style."
"The tweet follows our house style, and as was confirmed in November last year, The Duke has stepped back from his public duties and patronages for the foreseeable future and remains a member of the Royal Family."
In November 2019, the Duke of York released an official statement regarding his decision to withdraw from his royal duties, as posted on his Twitter account through the Royal Communications.
It came after his ill-advised BBC interview where he talked about his friendship and ties with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Prince Andrew's statement, however, made it clear that he only decided to step back from his duties for the foreseeable future and not totally stay away for good.
However, aside from dropping off the HRH title, Prince andrew continues to find himself in the middle of controversy and public backlash. This is after people and the government expressed their anger after the royal family's attempt to fly Union Flags on government buildings and other halls in time for his birthday.
The government spokesperson said that the councils are not required to make the monarchy's wish since the Duke of York is not doing any public duties the past few months. Moreover, his ties with Epstein and his scandal are still not resolved yet.
Royal Watchers Reacted To The Birthday Message
The said tweet by the Buckingham Palace received mixed comments from Prince Andrew's defenders and critics.
"Magnificent, an incredible birthday celebration for his RH Prince Andrew Albert Christian Edward, the Duke of York, today marks his 60th birthday! Do have a great special day your RH," one supporter said.
However, another Twitter user slammed the Palace and its PR by saying, "Appreciate you are trying to re-invent Andrew, but he has caused his own downfall and fall from grace. This is completely inappropriate in the circumstances. Who is in charge of your PR."
Prince Andrew and the whole royal family should expect more of jumbled comments like these until the Duke finally comes out clean just like how he pledged before.
