Prince Andrew 'using Queen' in obsession to return to royal life, says source

Prince Andrew is being accused of using his closeness to Queen Elizabeth II to return to his royal duties after he retired from public life in May 2020.

Royal biographer Tina Brown pointed out the fact that the Duke of York lives just "a stone's throw" away from his mother in Windsor Great Park. This means he can easily visit her when he wants to and he is "going to be out there at every turn."

The author of "The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor, the Truth, and the Turmoil," said the Duke of York "has always been a dim bulb and something of an oaf." Speaking of his royal life, she said he "has been cancelled essentially."

However, Brown claimed the 62-year-old has "no desire to be stashed anywhere" and that he will only "keep trying to push himself out onto the public stage." She said in an interview on 60 Minutes Australia, "In previous centuries, Andrew would have been banished to the borders you know, and locked up in some castle keep but you can't do that in the 21st century."

The author said that Prince Andrew is not going away quietly and that he still has a thirst for royal life. He even walked Queen Elizabeth II inside Westminster Abbey during Prince Philip's memorial, a move that shocked the public. It was "a source of great anxiety and sorrow to the family."

"I think nobody was happy to see him at her side at that service. But I'm also told that he pushed his way in, that in fact he wasn't supposed to be walking down the aisle with her," she explained.

She said Queen Elizabeth II has stuck by her son's side because she has a "very soft spot" for him. It is said to be this closeness that the duke counts on for his return to public life.

Brown said "Prince Andrew believes strongly that he can get back" and that "this is something that he's obsessed with and that he believes that this is going to happen." The Duke of York reportedly believes that over time, "he will get back into the mix and of course, his mother right now is the best route as he sees it."