King Charles and Prince William are reportedly set for a “very awkward” reunion with the disgraced former Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as members of the Royal Family gather for a significant family event. On Friday, Andrew and his former wife, Sarah Ferguson—who share two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, are set to rub shoulders with senior members of the Royal Family.
In what will reportedly mark the first royal event that the duo has attended since being stripped of their royal titles, Andrew and Sarah will attend the christening of their granddaughter, Athena, at the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace. Athena is the second daughter of Beatrice and her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, a property developer whom she married in 2020. Yet, the event represents a “very tricky situation,” according to King Charles’ former butler, Grant Harrold, who suggests that senior royals may “keep a distance.”
Speaking exclusively to Reach, Grant explains: “Beatrice’s daughter’s christening is coming up this week, which will likely see Andrew reunited with his wider family.
“As with any royal christening, members of the extended family will be there, so I imagine King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William and Kate will have been invited.
“And of course, as the new arrival’s grandfather, Andrew will likely have a key role—even if there are reports that his relationship with Beatrice isn’t strong at the moment.
“It will be very awkward for certain members of the family, especially the King and Prince William. They made the decision to strip Andrew of his titles, so the reunion will be very awkward. It’s a very, very tricky situation.
“It’s possible that senior members of the family will keep a distance. Conversations will happen in advance, as they won’t want anything to go wrong on the day.
“But the King and William are still extremely close to Beatrice, and they will want to be part of this special occasion.”
Andrew, who has consistently denied the allegations against him, announced in October that he would relinquish his royal titles, including the Duke of York, amid intense media pressure over his links to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
He was also stripped of his prince title and has been ordered to vacate the long-contested Royal Lodge, which he had shared with his ex-wife. Sarah also faced a fall from grace, losing her rank of duchess, and is now simply known as Sarah Ferguson.
Speaking further on the imminent family gathering, Grant said he believes they will be “very careful” about what enters the public domain, claiming that they don’t want to be viewed as having “any sort of close relationship” with Andrew “going forward.”
He suggested that this may not be a problem anyway, as Beatrice and Edoardo are “very private,” theorising that it would be unlikely for the public to see any photos from the occasion.
Grant noted that it was a similar case with the couple’s wedding, with the public only seeing a “handful” of snaps, so the likelihood of Beatrice and Edoardo sharing lots of photos on social media is slim.
He added: “At the end of the day, this is Princess Beatrice and Edo’s day—nobody will want personal drama to cause any upset.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.express.co.uk ’
