The Queen will carry out her first engagement in London following her return from Sandringham on February 19. This means the monarch won’t be spending the whole day with the Duke of York, thought to be the Queen’s favourite son. 

As Prince Andrew turns 60, the Queen will be launching the new premises of the Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitals in the London Borough of Camden.

The new building is a state-of-the-art facility which has brought the two previously separate hospitals under one roof.

The Queen will tour the hospitals, learn more about the work carried out there and will speak to both patients and staff about the care given at the Bloomsbury facility.

It isn’t known whether the Queen will later join the Duke of York to mark his milestone birthday. 

Prince Andrew is expected to celebrate his special day in private, most likely at his Windsor home, the Royal Lodge.

As revealed by the Daily Express earlier this month, the Duke of York has turned down a military promotion traditionally given to senior royal members on milestone birthdays.

Andrew was due to be appointed Admiral next week by his mother the Queen.

However, a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said the royal won’t accept it for the time being.

She said: “By convention, the Duke of York would be in line for military promotion on his 60th birthday.

“Following the decision by His Royal Highness to step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, the Duke of York has asked the Ministry of Defence if this promotion might be deferred until such time that His Royal Highness returns to public duty.”

Prince Andrew left the Navy in 2001 to become a full-time working royal.

The Duke, who fought in 1982 in the Falkland War, was promoted to Real Admiral on his 50th birthday and to Vice Admiral when he turned 55.

His older siblings, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, were made appointed Admiral at the age of, respectively, 58 and 62. 

Prince Andrew stepped back from public duties in mid-November, following his car crash interview with Emily Maitlis about his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Upon temporarily relinquishing his full-time working royal status, Prince Andrew said in a statement: “It has become clear to me over the last few days that the circumstances relating to my former association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to my family’s work and the valuable work going on in the many organisations and charities that I am proud to support.

“Therefore, I have asked Her Majesty if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission. 

“I continue to unequivocally regret my ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein.

“His suicide has left many unanswered questions, particularly for his victims, and I deeply sympathise with everyone who has been affected and wants some form of closure.

“I can only hope that, in time, they will be able to rebuild their lives.

“Of course, I am willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required.”    

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