Just a day after it was revealed Prince Andrew would be unexpectedly returning to public life, he appears to have dramatically backtracked.

The disgraced Duke of York pulled out of an appearance at the Order of the Garter ceremony at Windsor Castle today.

Princes Charles and William are thought to have lobbied the Queen to block Andrew, 62, from going, The Sun reports.

Despite this he is still a member of the ancient order of chivalry, and will still attend a private lunch with the Queen and other members after the ceremony.

An annual service and procession takes place for the Order – the most senior order of knighthood – every June.

It was thought Prince Andrew, who was stripped of his official duties at the start of the year ahead of his sex abuse lawsuit, would not appear in public life again.

He paid his accuser Virginia Giuffre a reported £12 million earlier this year despite claiming to have done nothing wrong.

But the Queen’s son took a prominent role in Prince Philip’s memorial service at the end of March, in an apparent show of support by the Royal Family.

A royal source told the Mail on Sunday over the weekend the ‘Andrew problem’ needed fixing.

‘Clearly at some point soon, thought will have to be given as to how to support the duke as, [away] from the public gaze, he seeks slowly to rebuild his life in a different direction,’ they said.

He was prevented from attending the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations last weekend after saying he caught Covid-19.

The duke is said to have pushed his 96-year-old mum for his former status to be restored, and so he can be allowed back to official events.

He has apparently called for his ceremonial role as Colonel of the Grenadier Guards to be reinstated and wants his daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, to be made working royals.

Prince Andrew remains ninth in line to the throne, and a Counsellor of State which means he will stand in for the Queen if she is incapacitated and Charles and William are abroad. 

But Princes Charles and William are reportedly concerned his continued presence will cause lasting damage to the reputation of the Royal Family. There are fears he may be booed if he appears in public, especially wearing ceremonial robes.

A source told The Telegraph: ‘The colonelcy of the Grenadier Guards was his most coveted title and he wants it back.

‘Having remained a Counsellor of State, he also believes he should be included at royal and state events.

‘Most importantly for him is his status as an HRH and “Prince of the Blood” and he feels that should be reinstated and his position recognised and respected.’

Buckingham Palace and Prince Andrew’s spokesperson declined to comment on the claims.

But one royal insider said there should be ‘no expectation’ of him being welcomed back.

‘[The duke could] lobby all he wanted, if indeed he has, but whether he would ever get anything back is an entirely different matter,’ the source said.

An aide said the statement from January – in which Andrew was stripped of his roles ‘with the Queen’s approval and agreement’ – still ‘speaks for itself’.

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