Prince Andrew will have to miss another of Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee events after testing positive for COVID-19, royal reporter Omid Scobie shared Thursday. The queen’s 62-year-old son will not attend Friday’s Service of Thanksgiving “with regret,” and while Buckingham Palace confirmed Andrew saw the queen “in the last few days,” he hasn’t been in contact with the 96-year-old royal since testing positive.
“Prince Andrew ‘with regret’ will no longer attend tomorrow’s #PlatinumJubilee service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s after testing positive for Covid,” Scobie’s report read. “The Palace confirm he has seen the Queen ‘in the last few days’ but has not seen her since testing positive.” Andrew previously was barred from joining the queen and other members of the royal family from the Palace balcony Thursday during the Trooping the Colour parade, as the long-reigning monarch limited the appearance to members of the family who are currently undertaking public duties on her behalf.
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Queen Elizabeth was joined on the balcony by Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince William, Kate Middleton and their three children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were also notably absent from the balcony, but the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were photographed Thursday watching the Jubilee festivities from the Major General’s Office.
Andrew’s absence comes after the prince stepped back from his public duties in 2019 amid scrutiny of his relationship with Jeffery Epstein and the alleged sexual abuse of Virginia Giuffre. While the Duke of York denied abusing Giuffre at the time, he was removed from his public roles and stripped of his military titles, although he retained the title Duke of York. In February 2022, Prince Andrew and Giuffre reached an out-of-court settlement over her claims of abuse.
Court documents at the time indicted Prince Andrew would donate funds to Giuffre’s charity in support of victims of sexual assault, although the exact amount wasn’t disclosed. “Prince Andrew regrets his association with Epstein, and commends the bravery of Ms. Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others,” the document read. “He pledges to demonstrate his regret for his association with Epstein by supporting the fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting its victims.”
