Even though Prince Andrew stepped back from his public duties last November following a catastrophic interview with the BBC regarding his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, the Duke of York will still receive the honor of having his birthday commemorated with the ringing of the bells at Westminster Abbey.
The royal church has released its official bell-ringing schedule, which showed that Prince Andrew’s birthday on February 19, 2021 will be celebrated, despite public outrage over the event last year. Currently, People magazine noted, only 11 other royals receive this distinction—Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Princess Anne, Prince Edward, Prince William and Kate Middleton, and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s birthdays won’t be marked by the ringing of the bells, and weren’t even before they stepped back from their position as senior royals earlier this year, according to People. Sophie, Countess of Wessex, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent, and Princess Alexandra are also not included on Westminister’s bell-ringing schedule.
However, other birthday tributes have been halted when it comes to Prince Andrew. Flags on the U.K.’s government buildings are typically changed to the Union Jack on occasions such as royal birthdays. However, “Following the decision by the Duke of York to step back from public duties for the foreseeable future,” the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport wrote in a statement ahead of Andrew’s birthday this year, “there is no longer a requirement for U.K. government buildings to fly the Union flag on Wednesday February 19.”
The commemoration of Prince Andrew’s birthday may never not be jarring, but it’s a particularly inopportune moment given the recent allegations that he used a puppet of himself, gifted to him by Ghislaine Maxwell, to grope Virginia Roberts Giuffre and another victim, according to Giuffre’s unpublished manuscript The Billionaire Playboy’s Club. In June, according to ABC News, New York federal prosecutors also reportedly formally requested testimony from Prince Andrew as part of the criminal investigation into alleged coconspirators of Epstein.
Prince Andrew has “categorically” denied the accusations made against him by Giuffre, stating that the alleged incidents “never happened” and he has “no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever.”
Following his BBC interview last November, the royal released a statement announcing the end of his public duties. “It has become clear to me over the last few days that the circumstances relating to my former association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to my family’s work and the valuable work going on in the many organizations and charities that I am proud to support,” Prince Andrew wrote. “Therefore, I have asked Her Majesty if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission.”
More Great Stories From Vanity Fair
— Did Billionaire Tobacco Heiress Doris Duke Get Away With Murder?
— The Porn Industry’s Biggest Scandal—And Mystery
— After a Year in Hiding, Ghislaine Maxwell Finally Faces Justice
— Inside the Other Harry and Meghan Book by Longtime Royal Irritant Lady Colin Campbell
— From Tyga to Charli D’Amelio, TikTok Stars Are Having a Blast (at Home)
— The 21 Best Books for Tolerating 2020 (So Far)
— From the Archive: The Mystery of Doris Duke’s Final Years
Looking for more? Sign up for our daily newsletter and never miss a story.