The Queen steps out with Prince Andrew for the first time since BBC interview
Queen Elizabeth showed her support for son Prince Andrew as they made a public appearance together for the first time since the Duke of York stepped down from his royal duties.
The 93-year-old monarch was photographed Sunday morning attending church in Hillington with Prince Andrew, who stepped down from royal duties in November following the backlash over his BBC interview surrounding his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The 50-minute interview sparked outrage as the 59-year-old was accused of lacking empathy for Epstein’s victims as well as failing to denounce the behaviour of the disgraced US financier. He was also criticised for not showing regret over his friendship with the accused sex trafficker.
Since the “disastrous” interview, Prince Andrew has stood down from all 230 of his charitable patronages. He retains his HRH status.
The church visit came hours after the Queen reached an agreement regarding Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan’s decision to step back from their senior royal roles.
In a statement released on Saturday, Her Majesty announced that her grandson and his wife would be giving up their HRH titles and paying back £2.4 million of the public fund spent on refurbishing Frogmore Cottage.