Prince Andrew, once the golden child, has been dealt his final humiliation of public life by being banned from saluting while walking behind his late mother’s coffin procession as it passed the Cenotaph.

Andrew, the only one of the Queen’s children not dressed in military uniform, simply bowed his head next to the national war memorial on Whitehall, having been stripped of his royal duties.

Prince Andrew walks behind the coffin during the procession for the lying-in state of Queen Elizabeth II.Credit:Getty

The Falklands war veteran was barred from wearing his navy uniform because he was in effect sacked as a “working” member of the royal family after he was disgraced over his relationship with the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Famously his mother’s favourite, Andrew has not been treated as a complete royal pariah by his family as he mourns her death. But it is clear that now she has gone there is no longer a place for him.

Until this week, he’d rarely been seen in public since the highly damaging case brought by sex abuse accuser Virginia Giuffre, 38, which led to a multi-million-pound settlement in February.

He has consistently denied the allegations against him and the settlement was not an admission of guilt.

The late Queen stripped her second son of all of his honorary military roles, including Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, and he gave up his HRH style in January before the legal settlement. He retained only his rank as a vice-admiral.

Ever since it has been humiliation after humiliation. On Monday as the Queen’s cortège passed along The Royal Mile in Edinburgh, a man shouted, “Andrew, you’re a sick old man”.

If the King needed any more evidence that he’d made the correct call then this was proof. He’d always been adamant that the controversy over Andrew should not be allowed to tarnish the reputation of the family. And even more so, it was Prince William, who had pushed his father.

The late Queen was said to understand their decision, but was displeased. Even in her final months she defied them to allow him to walk her down the aisle during a memorial service to her late husband, Philip, in March.

Prince Andrew and Sophie, Countess of Wessex leave Westminster Hall, London. Credit:AP

Even before the Epstein scandal it was always thought that the Duke had no future in Charles III’s slimmed-down monarchy. It is no secret that Andrew is not close to his brother – and having orchestrated his permanent exit from royal life along with the Prince of Wales.

In June, William was so alarmed at the prospect of his shamed uncle’s attempted royal comeback that he reportedly warned that he would pull out of the Order of the Garter ceremony, one of the most traditional ceremonies in the royal calendar, where the monarch and the Knights process in grand velvet robes, glistening insignia and plumed hats.

The now heir to the throne made it clear that unless the Duke of York – who had hoped to attend the ancient event at Windsor as a member of the order – was banned from taking his place in public, he would not be able to take part.

The dramatic move followed a piece in The Telegraph that he wanted his HRH status reinstated and, as a “Prince of the Blood”, wanted his position “recognised and respected”.

Elizabeth II, although sympathetic to Andrew, gave in to Charles’ and William’s demands that he should miss the public elements of the event to protect the reputation of the family after a hugely successful Jubilee weekend.

At the weekend, following his mother’s death at Balmoral, Andrew adopted a visible role, thanking members of the public for their support through his family’s grief. He told one member of the crowd: “We’ve been allowed one day, now we start the process of handing her on.“

Consoling his clearly emotional daughters, Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, he put his arm around his eldest daughter as she dabbed her eyes remembering her beloved grandmother.

Banned from wearing military uniform at four out of the five ceremonial occasions over the mourning period, an exception has been made as a “special mark of respect” for the Queen when he stands guard around her coffin during the Vigil of the Princes.

The ruling is believed to have been imposed by the King, who is determined that Andrew not be allowed to return as a working royal.

He has, however, acquired one new familial role. He and his former wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, who still live together at Royal Lodge on the Windsor estate, have become keepers of the late Queen’s corgis and dorgi.

Andrew still receives taxpayer-funded police protection, despite no longer undertaking official duties. He was last year targeted by multiple intruders who tried to gain access to the Grade II-listed Windsor home.

The Duke of York may have been granted a temporary reprieve to mourn his beloved mother this week – but it’s clear he will remain persona non grata as far as “The Firm” is concerned.

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