Disgraced Prince Andrew to ‘dress up as a royal for a day’ at ceremony with King Charles after Duke was stripped of his HRH status over Jeffrey Epstein scandal

• Duke of York will wear ermine robes at the Royal Victorian Order’s event today
• Late Queen did not remove him of ceremonial role in order following allegations
• Read more: Virginia Roberts’ lawyers accuse Andrew of ‘outrageous conduct’

The Duke of York has been accused of ‘playing dress up as a royal’ after it was revealed he will attend a grand ceremony alongside the King today.

Disgraced Prince Andrew, 63, will wear his ermine robes when he goes to the Royal Victorian Order’s event, which celebrates loyalty and service to the Royal Family.

The dinner and subsequent party, which will be held at Windsor, are set to have around 600 guests including His Majesty and Prince Edward. 

The set of velvet robes adorned with intricate royal details signify his position as a Knight of the Garter – the ancient order of chivalry dating back to 1348 whose knights traditionally perform significant roles during Coronation ceremonies.

After Prince Andrew was hit by bombshell allegations of sexual abuse in 2019, – which he strenuously denies – he was stripped of his duties as a working royal.

Prince Andrew, Duke of York, pictured attending the Sandringham Estate’s Christmas Day service last year

The King, pictured here at the 2023 Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey on March 13, will also attend the order’s party 

The late Queen, however, did not remove him of his ceremonial role in the Royal Victorian Order following the allegations. 

Ex-MP Norman Baker and serving member of the Privy Council said that the Duke of York is ‘worming his way back into public life’ and should be ‘given the boot’. 

‘He is simply being allowed to play dressing up as a royal for the day when really he should be serving a long period of silence,’ he said according to The Sun.

Ingrid Seward, of Majesty magazine, told the paper: ‘He is a member, so they probably couldn’t stop him going even if they wanted to.’

It was revealed last month that due to Andrew being stripped of his royal duties, he will have no ceremonial role at the King’s Coronation despite still being a Knight of the Garter.

In recent weeks it was also reported that Andrew was ‘furious’ after founding out the King may ban him from wearing his ermine robes at the Coronation.

He was previously banned from wearing the traditional robes at Queen Elizabeth’s final appearance at the Garter Day procession in Windsor. 

It is still unclear whether he will be allowed to attend the Coronation in the robes. 

Pictured: The Duke of York in his ceremonial robes in 2007

The set of velvet robes adorned with intricate royal details signify Prince Andrew’s (pictured with the then Prince of Wales in 2015) position as a Knight of the Garter 

The Duke settled a sex assault lawsuit filed by his accuser, Virginia Giuffre, last year for a reported $12m (£10m) but he is now said to think he should have fought the case. 

The Mail on Sunday reported in January that he is considering trying to overturn a multi-million-pound settlement he made with Ms Giuffre.

However, the backlash the Prince received surrounding the case has led to any return to public life seeming near impossible.

Buckingham Palace was contacted for comment by MailOnline. 

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