Prince Andrew could bring 'noise' at coronation

Prince Harry may not be the only awkward topic of conversation during King Charles III's coronation amid reports that his uncle, Prince Andrew, is also expected to attend the ceremony.

Royal experts discuss how the Duke of York's appearance might cause the public some concerns especially if he were to be given a role. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, author of "This Is Why I Resist," said she is not surprised that he will be there.

She told Newsweek, "He's still a prince of the realm and he's still the Duke of York. He still has [the] title and he still has the benefits that come with being a member of the royal family. It's his brother and he's a duke."

Mos-Shogbamimu thinks that "people will make a noise" about Prince Andrew's appearance at King Charles III's coronation. But she also said it "very much depends on whether he is simply attending or whether he has a specific function."

She thinks "he's simply attending" and does not see how he cannot attend. She then pointed at the duke's presence at previous royal events including Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II's funeral saying, "He attended his father's funeral, he attended his mother's funeral, I would expect him to be there for any other family function which this coronation would be."

Meanwhile, Nigel Cawthorne, author of "Prince Andrew, Maxwell, and the Palace," thinks "there'll be a lot of pressure" for the Duke of York to have "some kind of minor role" at King Charles III's coronation. He remembered the role the duke played during the funeral events for his mother, especially that time he joined his siblings as they stood guard around her casket as she lay in state at Westminster Hall days before the state funeral on Sept. 19 last year.

"[Andrew] did attend the Vigil of the Princes and marched around behind his mother's coffin so he has been out in public without anyone throwing eggs at him, so it'll be mentioned in Britain. But the actual crowning will be the thing and that's what the cameras will be on," Cawthorne said.

However, the duke was heckled by a man during the procession to St.Giles Cathedral for a memorial service in Edinburgh. He was walking behind the coffin when a man shouted at him, "Andrew, you're a sick old man."

Cawthorne also believes that King Charles III would not allow his brother to be on the Buckingham Palace balcony during the coronation. He explained, "Charles' whole thing was going back to George VI when there was just the four of them on the balcony. In this case, Charles, Camilla, William, and Kate, and probably not Harry and Meghan either. So they won't be there."

Buckingham Palace has yet to announce final details about the guest list at the coronation on May 6. It is expected that royal family members will be there so they could include former working royals Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and Prince Andrew. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex left their royal duties in 2020 and now live in California with their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

Meanwhile, Prince Andrew retreated from public life in 2019 due to the scandal brought about by his friendship with the late convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Queen Elizabeth II also stripped him of his royal patronages and military titles in January 2022. But he surprised the public during Prince Philip's memorial in April 2022 when he was seen escorting his mother inside Westminster Abbey, just a month after he settled his sexual abuse case out of court with his accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre. He has been staying out of the public eye since Her Majesty's funeral but may have to face the public's scorn again at King Charles III's coronation.