Prince Andrew to celebrate birthday today with 'small gathering' at Royal Lodge as ex Sarah Ferguson 'remains devoted' to him
The duke doesn't have big plans, according to reportsPrince Andrew could mark his 65th birthday today (Wednesday, February 19) with a “secret gathering” at his home, according to a royal expert.
The Duke of York may celebrate with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson – who lives at Andrew’s home Royal Lodge. Their children – Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie – could also show their support.
Prince Andrew’s ‘secret’ birthday party
Today, Prince Andrew celebrates his 65th birthday. However, it seems the duke won’t be making a big song and dance to mark it.
Instead, according to royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams, the duke could have a rather subdued celebration today.
Speaking exclusively to Royal Insider, Richard discussed what Andrew’s birthday plans could include.
“It is supposed to be secret but reportedly there will be a small gathering at Royal Lodge,” he said.
“Sarah Ferguson, his ex-wife, remains devoted and the Yorks are a close-knit family. Expect Beatrice and Eugenie to be supportive in whatever way they can.”
“This is not likely to be marked in any way by the royal family. No doubt greetings may be sent privately,” he then said.
However, Richard added that due to the “embarrassment” caused by Andrew recently with his scandals, it makes this “difficult to estimate”.
Prince Andrew ‘frustrated’ not to be ‘destined’ to become king
In recent Prince Andrew news, a new book has claimed that the Duke of York struggled with his role and position in the royal family.
Royal author Tom Quinn’s new book, Yes Ma’am: The Secret Life of Royal Servant, doesn’t paint the best picture of Andrew. Former staffers reportedly called the duke “imperious, bossy, and bad-tempered”.
One former staff member claims Andrew struggled with his position in the royal family. At the time of his birth, Andrew was second in line to the throne behind his older brother Charles.
It is supposed to be secret but reportedly there will be a small gathering at Royal Lodge.
“A bit like his aunt Margaret, Andrew always behaved as if he was frustrated about not being the first-born and therefore destined to become king. This frustration made him a bit of a bully in private, I think,” the staffer claimed.
“If he liked a member of his staff, he could be very loyal and supportive. But he couldn’t resist being imperious and bossy and bad-tempered if anything went wrong or wasn’t done exactly to his liking. Some members of his staff, I won’t say a majority, privately thought he was the classic school bully – just the sort of person who used to bully his brother Charles at Gordonstoun [Charles’ former school],” they then added.
Duke of York ‘not easy to deal with,’ book claims
Another former staff member allegedly branded Andrew “arrogant”.
“The palace has a problem because there are instances and evidence of Prince Andrew being overbearing and verbally abusive,” they allegedly said. “He was not easy as an adviser to deal with. He was very arrogant indeed.”
In recent years, Andrew has lived a rather quiet life at Royal Lodge after stepping away from public duties in 2019 amid his association with late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In 2022, Andrew settled a civil sexual assault case with his accuser Virginia Giuffre – an alleged victim of Epstein’s sex trafficking ring – out of court for an undisclosed sum.
The duke has always denied allegations of sexual assault against him.
More recently, he has faced more scandal due to his association with an alleged Chinese spy and claims he was in contact Epstein longer than he initially said.
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