Prince Andrew raises questions over COVID-19 diagnosis amid Jubilee celebrations

Prince Andrew raised eyebrows following news that he tested positive for COVID-19. Royal followers suspect his diagnosis is merely a convenient way of avoiding the public amid the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

The Duke of York was absent during the Trooping the Colour parade on Thursday, June 2. He was not among the royal family members photographed watching the parade from Buckingham Palace. Instead, his daughter Princess Beatrice was there with her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were also photographed talking to the Duke of Kent.

He is also expected to miss Friday's National Service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul's Cathedral because of his diagnosis. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said in a statement posted by the New York Post, "After undertaking a routine test, The Duke has tested positive for Covid and with regret will no longer be attending tomorrow's service."

It is understood that the 62-year-old was in contact with Queen Elizabeth II in the last few days, but not since he tested positive for the virus on Thursday. This would explain his absence at the Trooping the Colour parade.

However, not everyone is convinced that he really has COVID-19. He reportedly looked healthy and fit when he was pictured riding a horse in Windsor on Wednesday.

Netizens shared their thoughts about his diagnosis and its "convenient" timing with the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. One wrote on Twitter, "BREAKING: Prince Andrew has sadly been forced to skip the jubilee celebrations after faking a positive Covid test."

Another added, "The definition of convenience. Prince Andrew testing positive for Covid and having to miss the whole Jubilee weekend celebrations."

Meanwhile, others claimed that the COVID-19 diagnosis was the perfect way for the royals to remove the Duke of York from the Platinum Jubilee celebrations and avoid bad press. One royal fan wrote, "The institution knew it would be terrible PR to have him there, but for him to choose not to go would seem like an admission of guilt."

Prince Andrew retired from public life in 2019 and Queen Elizabeth II stripped him of his royal patronages and military titles in January 2022. In March, he surprised the public when he played a major role as his mother's escort to Prince Philip's memorial at Westminster Abbey just a few weeks after he settled his sexual abuse case out of court.