Prince Andrew, Duke of York stands with his daughter, Princess Beatrice on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following the Trooping the Colour ceremony on June 17, 2006. (Photo by Anwar Hussein/WireImage)(Image: Getty)Princess Beatrice once posed a heart-wrenching question at a royal event, highlighting the impact of her parents’ split on the young royal.
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson tied the knot in an extravagant ceremony at Westminster Abbey in 1986, but their relationship soon faced difficulties.
Due to Andrew’s naval career requiring him to be away at sea for extended periods, the couple reportedly spent fewer than 40 days together in their first year of marriage.
Over time, the distance took its toll, and by March 1992, the Duke and Duchess of York announced their separation. Despite remaining amicable, Sarah’s royal status quickly diminished.
A less-than-flattering biography of the disgraced duke by Andrew Lownie, titled The Rise and Fall of the House of York, illustrated how noticeable the change was during a procession at Royal Ascot, one of the most prestigious events in the royal calendar, according to the Mirror.
Princess Beatrice, Sarah, Duchess of York and Prince Andrew, Duke of York(Image: UK Press via Getty Images)Just a year prior, the Duchess had enjoyed the privilege of riding in a carriage alongside the Queen Mother.
However, following the separation, Sarah was relegated to watching from the roadside as the royal procession passed. Standing next to her was Princess Beatrice, who was still too young to comprehend why her mother was no longer part of the pageantry.
Lownie said: “Sarah’s reduced status was quickly evident. At the previous Ascot, she had ridden in a carriage with the Queen Mother. Now she watched from the roadside as the Queen passed by. Beatrice cried out, ‘Can we come too?’ The Queen just carried on waving.”
The biography presents a consistently damaging portrayal of Prince Andrew, with Lownie characterising him as obsessed with sex, a “useful idiot,” and vulnerable to Jeffrey Epstein’s manipulation.
Two-thirds of Britons believe the Duke of York should lose his remaining royal titles, according to fresh polling.
Research conducted by YouGov revealed that 67% of the public would support stripping Andrew of his Duke of York title, along with his princely status.
Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Sarah, Duchess of York, with Princess Beatrice, and Princess Eugenie(Image: (Image: UK Press via Getty Images))Parliamentary legislation would be necessary to stop Andrew from continuing as the Duke of York, while his inherited right to be a prince, as the child of a monarch, could be altered if the King issued a Letters Patent.
The duke ceased using his Royal Highness style after his catastrophic Newsnight interview, though it could be withdrawn completely through a Letters Patent.
Andrew withdrew from public duties in 2019 following the scandal surrounding his association with convicted billionaire Jeffrey Epstein.
He subsequently paid millions to resolve a civil sexual assault lawsuit with Virginia Giuffre, who was trafficked by Epstein as a teenager, and whom Andrew insisted he had never encountered.