THE Queen today indicated she has trouble moving as she held her first in-person audience since her Covid scare.
The 95-year-old monarch, standing while using a walking stick, pointed to her left leg or foot, and remarked: “Well, as you can see, I can’t move” during the official engagement at Windsor Castle.
She held the audience with the incoming Defence Services Secretary, Major General Eldon Millar, and his predecessor, Rear Admiral James Macleod, on Wednesday.
The Duke of York is keeping his dukedom and his service rank of Vice Admiral and will remain a Counsellor of State despite agreeing to an out-of-court settlement in a sexual assault lawsuit.
There are growing calls for Andrew to give up the York title, or for the Queen to remove it, in the wake of his financial agreement with Virginia Giuffre, who accused the duke of having sex with her after she was trafficked.
Andrew yesterday agreed to settle with rape accuser Virginia Giuffre, meaning the claims against him will not be heard in court.
Read our Royal Family live blog below for the latest updates…
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Councillors set to debate renaming of Prince Andrew way in Co Antrim
Councillors in Northern Ireland are set to hold a debate later this year on the renaming of Prince Andrew Way in Co Antrim.
Prince Andrew Way is currently a street in Carrickfergus, which is in the Mid and East Antrim Council area.
A spokesperson for the council said that a debate to change the name of Prince Andrew Way is set to be held later this year.
It comes amid growing calls for Andrew to give up his Duke of York title, or for the Queen to remove it, in the wake of his financial agreement with Virginia Giuffre, who accused the duke of having sex with her after she was trafficked.
Andrew has always denied the allegations.
The spokesperson for Mid and East Antrim Council said: “This is a matter for Elected Members, and a motion to change the name of Prince Andrew Way in Carrickfergus is expected to be brought before Council in June 2022, at which time it will considered by Elected Members.”
The street is on the eastern side of the Northern Ireland town.
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Meghan’s ‘controlling’ signals on Prince Harry
The Duchess of Sussex is said to give away signs when she is impatient to move on, claims Jesus Enrique Rosas, who runs the YouTube channel Body Language Guy.
He analysed a clip of Meghan and Harry at a public engagement to highlight his point.
Jesus explained: “Meghan and Harry were attending the Wellchild Awards back in 2019, and they were talking to some of the families attending.
“And I think this was the last family they were talking to because they were sitting along a wall, and this was at the far corner, and in fact, it was the end of the video.
“But Harry was still talking to them, in a quite engaging way, and then Meghan just stands up and literally, and silently commands Harry to stop and stand up just using her body language.
“And this is not the only time she’s been caught in camera interrupting Harry out cold.”
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Charles ‘happy’ to help Met police probe into cash for honours scandal
The Prince of Wales would be “happy” to help a Metropolitan Police investigation into an alleged cash-for-honours scandal launched after Charles and a former close confidant were reported to officers over the claims.
Anti-monarchy group Republic made a formal complaint to Met detectives about the heir to the throne and Michael Fawcett last September, following a series of newspaper articles alleging a donor to The Prince’s Foundation was offered help securing a knighthood.
At the time Clarence House said the prince had “no knowledge” of the alleged cash-for-honours scandal.
Mr Fawcett, who has since resigned as chief executive of The Prince’s Foundation in the wake of the alleged scandal, had been accused of promising to help the Saudi billionaire donor achieve British citizenship and the honour.
A source said about the police investigation: “His Royal Highness is happy to help if asked. He has not been.”
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‘Public should be told of Andrew’s funds for sex case settlement’
The amount paid to the Duke of York’s accuser to settle the civil sex assault claim against him should be made public and so should the source of the funds, a royal finances expert has said.
No details have been disclosed with regard to the settlement made to Virginia Giuffre or the costs, but there has been speculation that Andrew has agreed to pay an eight-figure sum.
Last month, Buckingham Palace announced that the duke would be defending the case “as a private citizen”, but a number of commentators have claimed that would not stop him having been helped along with money from the Queen’s private wealth.
Andrew receives a Royal Navy pension and the Queen is also thought to fund her son from her £21.7-million-a-year Duchy of Lancaster income, but the figure she gives him is kept private.
David McClure, author of Royal Privilege: The Queen’s True Worth, said a settlement could be “in the order of several million dollars”.
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Andrew views settlement as way ‘BACK IN’ with royals, experts say
The out-of-court agreement means Andrew won’t be publicly grilled over claims he raped and abused Ms Giuffre when she was 17.
Her lawsuit saw him stripped of his royal title, all military honours and patronages after a face-to-face showdown with the Queen in January.
But now, the Duke of York sees his settlement as a way to regain his former roles – and he hopes to take on a few “quiet patronages”.
Royal expert Adam Helliker claims the settlement – which has “spared the Queen the gruelling details” of her son’s relationship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein – “play’s into Andrew’s hands”.
Mr Helliker told the Sun: “Andrew envisages a way back.
“I think he will see this as a kind of way to give it a year and take on a few quiet patronages.
“In English law it would have been seen by everyone else as: ‘If he really is innocent then why didn’t he go to America to fight it’.”
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Andrew to keep Dukedom and naval rank
The Duke of York is keeping his dukedom and his service rank of Vice Admiral and will remain a Counsellor of State despite agreeing to an out-of-court settlement in a sexual assault lawsuit.
There are growing calls for Andrew to give up the York title, or for the Queen to remove it, in the wake of his financial agreement with Virginia Giuffre, who accused the duke of having sex with her after she was trafficked.
The dukedom was a gift from his mother on his wedding day in 1986 and was previously used by the Queen’s father George VI.
Labour MP Rachael Maskell, who represents York Central, has called on Andrew to withdraw his title to show “respect” for people living in York.
Palace sources said there has been no change to Andrew’s current titles since the duke was stripped of his honorary military roles by the monarch last month, when he also stopped using his HRH style.
He remains the Duke of York and also a Vice Admiral.
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‘Public should be told of Andrew’s funds for sex case settlement’
The amount paid to the Duke of York’s accuser to settle the civil sex assault claim against him should be made public and so should the source of the funds, a royal finances expert has said.
No details have been disclosed with regard to the settlement made to Virginia Giuffre or the costs, but there has been speculation that Andrew has agreed to pay an eight-figure sum.
Last month, Buckingham Palace announced that the duke would be defending the case “as a private citizen”, but a number of commentators have claimed that would not stop him having been helped along with money from the Queen’s private wealth.
Andrew receives a Royal Navy pension and the Queen is also thought to fund her son from her £21.7-million-a-year Duchy of Lancaster income, but the figure she gives him is kept private.
David McClure, author of Royal Privilege: The Queen’s True Worth, said a settlement could be “in the order of several million dollars”.
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Public will draw their own conclusions on Andrew, says US lawyer
The court of public opinion will draw its own conclusions about the accusations made against the Duke of York, a top US lawyer has said.
Gloria Allred, who represents many of the victims of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, told Times Radio: “Are we now going to ever know the truth of what Prince Andrew did or did not do?
“I assume that people are probably going to believe whatever they believed before this settlement, and before they heard any testimony under oath because there’s been none so far. At least in this case.
“The people will draw their own conclusions in the court of public opinion, but it’s not going to happen in a court of law.”
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Did Andrew have ‘sex’ in a bath with Virginia?
Virginia has previously claimed she romped with Andrew in a bath when she was 17, after a night where he had allegedly been plying her with vodka at a London club.
Maxwell had previously said her bath was “too small” for sex.
In a manuscript, Virginia claimed: “It was a beige marble tiled floor with porcelain Victorian-style bathtub in the middle of the room and nowhere near the size of Jeffrey’s residences.”
She added: “I turned on the taps for the tub and the heat from the water began to steam up the small room.
“Trying to do the best of my youthfulness to try and act seductive, I gradually began to strip off my clothing, piece by piece.
“He loved every second of it as I went over to where he was waiting and watching, then began to undress him.
“We kissed and touched each other before submersing into the hot water, where we both continued to re-enact foreplay.”
She said the pair then “retired to my bedchambers for the longest ten minutes of my life”.
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Queen said ‘I can’t move’ as she used a walking stick today
In footage of the audience, the Queen, wearing a geometric patterned dress, can be heard remarking loudly with a chuckle to the military men as they arrived: “Oh, I’m here! I thought you might have just stayed in there for ages. Good morning.”
Asked how she was, the Queen, using her stick and only moving forward a fraction with a couple of tiny steps, said: “Well, as you can see I can’t move.”
Rear Admiral Macleod remarked: “Well, many congratulations on the start of your Jubilee year”, with the Queen saying: “Oh, thank you very much indeed. That’s very kind.”
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Queen points to mobility problem during first in-person audience since Covid scare
The Queen has indicated she has trouble moving as she held her first in-person audience since her Covid scare amid a turbulent week for the royal family.
The 95-year-old monarch, standing while using a walking stick, pointed to her left leg or foot, and remarked: “Well, as you can see, I can’t move” during the official engagement at Windsor Castle.
She held the audience with the incoming Defence Services Secretary, Major General Eldon Millar, and his predecessor, Rear Admiral James Macleod, on Wednesday.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
The Queen is understood to have been feeling slightly stiff, rather than having injured herself or being unwell.
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Social media users mistook Eugenie for Meghan at Super Bowl
Prince Harry was spotted at the recent Super Bowl with Princess Eugenie – but Meghan was nowhere to be seen.
The Prince sat with his royal cousin in a private box at LA’s SoFi Stadium on Sunday night as the Cincinnati Bengals took on the LA Rams, losing 20-23.
Some social media users initially mistook Eugenie, 31, for Meghan, who lives nearby to the Los Angeles stadium with Harry and their two children, Archie, two, and baby Lilibet.
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Is the photo showing Andrew and Virginia together real?
A now-infamous photo, which the whereabouts is reportedly unknown, appears to show Andrew with his hand around Virginia’s waist in 2001.
Virginia was 17 when the photo was said to have been taken at sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell’s mews house in Belgravia, Central London.
Maxwell is seen smiling in the background of the photo, allegedly captured by the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
But Prince Andrew claimed in his car crash Newsnight interview that the photo could have been doctored.
He said he had no memory of going upstairs in Maxwell’s house and said the clothes he was wearing in the picture are his “travelling clothes”.
Andrew also said he has never seen Epstein with a camera. He dismissed the image as a “photograph of a photograph of a photograph”, adding it made it difficult to prove its origin.
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Will Andrew attend the Jubilee?
Under normal circumstances, Andrew would be expected to appear at his mother’s side and take part in the Trooping the Colour spectacle at the Platinum Jubilee.
However, it’s now far more likely he’ll be banned from attending at all.
He will reportedly not be permitted to appear at the public celebrations, which will end with a four-day bank holiday weekend in June.
“He won’t be at the Platinum Jubilee,” Ms Angela Levin said.
“He’s had it.
“The only good thing to come of this is that people aren’t going to hear the awful and personal things they would have done if he’d gone to court.”
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MPs demand probe into Andrew’s millions
Andrew’s mysterious sources of money have cast his finances into the spotlight once again after he agreed to a settlement worth up to £12m with his sex accuser Virginia Roberts.
Despite getting just £270k a year from his allowance from the Queen and small naval pension combined, the Duke of York has settled out of court to spare him from a humiliating civil case.
MPs have called for an inquiry into the source of Andrew’s settlement money, to ensure that none of the cash comes from the public purse.
Labour MP Jess Phillips told The Sun Online: “It is perfectly reasonable for the public to be told if their money has played a part in this settlement and honesty and transparency on this matter would be the best approach by the Prince in order to answer these questions.
“I have no idea how Prince Andrew is going to demonstrate his regret or work to combat child trafficking and sex crimes, however, I cannot see how he would be considered an ally in that fight by those who work day in day out to end the increasing problem of child sex trafficking in the UK.”
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The money could come from properties he has sold
Last month, Andrew sold a Swiss ski chalet bought by him and Sarah Ferguson in 2014 ahead of any upcoming legal costs he might face.
The chalet was worth around £17m, but David claims he will have made a fraction of that in selling it.
“Prince Andrew has made a few million from that sale, but he will have to split that with Fergie, and he had a mortgage to pay on it, so he is likely to have lost money on it,” David said.
He also likely has money left over from the 2007 sale of Sunninghill Park, his and Fergie’s former home, to a Kazakh oligarch for £15m, £3m over the asking price.
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Queen seen hours after Prince Andrew settles in sex assault case
The Queen has held her first in-person audience since Prince Charles tested positive for Covid.
It is also her first appearance since the Duke of York settled his sexual assault lawsuit.
The 95-year-old monarch, who already had the official engagement set in her diary, met the incoming Defence Services Secretary Major General Eldon Millar and his predecessor Rear Admiral James Macleod at Windsor Castle on Wednesday.
It has been a challenging week for the monarch, despite having just reached her Platinum Jubilee, and the royal family.
Her second son Andrew is facing a multi-million pound payout after settling his sex case out of court, her eldest son Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall caught Covid and now the Metropolitan Police has launched an investigation into a cash for honours scandal involving Charles’s charitable foundation.
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Andrews royal title
Her Majesty has already banned Andrew from using the title “His Royal Highness”.
The announcement of the settlement yesterday is unlikely to exonerate the duke in the court of public opinion.
Ms Levin said: “Settling could have been the easiest option. He refused to say that he was guilty, but it does smell as if he was.
“I think people will interpret it as guilt.”
Meanwhile, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said it would be “premature” for Andrew to even consider getting his titles back.
“His reputation has been shattered and, while this settlement will have been a tremendous relief for the Palace, the event speaks for itself,” he said.
“Maybe in 20 years things will be different, but anything now would be premature.
“People would find it unacceptable.”
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Was Andrew really at Pizza Express with daughter Beatrice on day he allegedly had sex with Virginia?
Andrew told Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis that he had taken daughter Princess Beatrice to a birthday party at Pizza Express in Woking, Surrey, on the day he allegedly had sex with Virginia.
But Princess Beatrice said she has “absolutely no recollection” of the alleged party in March 2001.
The Daily Mail reported the family who hosted the now infamous party cannot recall what happened and have no pictures.
The paper also claimed that housekeepers at his Sunninghill Park home “can’t remember” his movements.
Furthermore, it was alleged that Andrew had a home manicure booked for the afternoon he said he dropped Beatrice at the restaurant in Woking, a family diary says.
And a royal protection officer who was said to have been on duty and could have backed the alibi has since died.
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Did Andrew have ‘sex’ in a bath with Virginia?
Virginia has previously claimed she romped with Andrew in a bath when she was 17, after a night where he had allegedly been plying her with vodka at a London club.
Maxwell had previously said her bath was “too small” for sex.
In a manuscript, Virginia claimed: “It was a beige marble tiled floor with porcelain Victorian-style bathtub in the middle of the room and nowhere near the size of Jeffrey’s residences.”
She added: “I turned on the taps for the tub and the heat from the water began to steam up the small room.
“Trying to do the best of my youthfulness to try and act seductive, I gradually began to strip off my clothing, piece by piece.
“He loved every second of it as I went over to where he was waiting and watching, then began to undress him.
“We kissed and touched each other before submersing into the hot water, where we both continued to re-enact foreplay.”
She said the pair then “retired to my bedchambers for the longest ten minutes of my life”.
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Who is Michael Fawcett?
Mr Fawcett is the former chief executive of the Prince’s Foundation and one of the prince’s closest aides.
He stepped down in October amid claims he promised to help secure a CBE and British citizenship for Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz – a donor to the charity.
It was alleged he paid thousands of pounds to ‘fixers’ with links to the prince who said they could secure him an honour in return for donations.
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Royal insiders say it’s the charity, rather than Charles himself, under investigation
The Sun understands he is willing to cooperate with police on the matter and may yet be quizzed by cops.
No request to question the royal has been made so far, his spokesman said.
Royal insiders say it’s the charity, rather than Charles himself, under investigation.
A spokesman for Clarence House said: “The Prince of Wales has no knowledge of the alleged offer of honours or British citizenship on the basis of donations to his charities.”
They added: “There is no request [from police for interview].
“If His Royal Highness was asked to help he would of course do so.”
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Clarence House today stressed Charles had ‘no knowledge’ on allegations
Michael Fawcett was alleged to have paid thousands of pounds to ‘fixers’ with links to the prince who said they could secure him an honour in return for donations.
A Met special advisory team has assessed documents and the decision has been made that an investigation into allegations of offences under the Honours Act will commence.
Clarence House today stressed Charles had ‘no knowledge’ on allegations of offers of honours ‘on the basis of donation to his charities’.
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Met Police launches ‘cash for honours’ investigation into Prince Charles’ charity
The Metropolitan Police are investigating cash-for-honours allegations linked to the Prince of Wale’s charity.
The investigation will focus on the The Prince’s Foundation after it launched an investigation of its own following claims about a letter in which former CEO Michael Fawcett is alleged to have promised assistance with an honour in return for past and future donations.
Police stressed no arrests had been made, and no interviews had been carried out under caution, but that officers had been “contacting those believed to hold relevant information.”
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Andrew’s pal claims disgraced duke will return to royal life
Andrew’s pal has claimed the disgraced duke will RETURN to royal life after settling with his sex abuse accuser.
Colonel Rupert Wieloch even said Brits will “forgive” the Duke of York after he avoided spilling his secrets by swerving a court battle.
The former British commander, who trained alongside Andrew in the military, insisted his old chum has a real shot at redemption.
He suggested the Duke could return as a front-line royal – spectacularly comparing his future comeback to that of Camilla Parker Bowles.
Andrew was previously stripped of his royal title, all military honours and patronages after a face-to-face showdown with the Queen in January.
Col Wieloch told Good Morning Britain: “My sense is that the British people do forgive people who are genuinely regretful of their mistakes in the past.
“With time – a very long time – it is possible for a way back to be paved out for Prince Andrew.”