Prince Andrew was in a Chinese New Year dinner party with the China U.K. Ambassador Liu Xiaoming recently. While there, the Duke of York, apparently, passed on a message from Queen Elizabeth, who sent her sympathies and support for a nation dealing with the deadly novel coronavirus.
According to Daily Express, Buckingham Palace explicitly stated that this was a non-official function. Prince Andrew may have extended the Queen's message to the ambassador but the royal was there, along with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson and his daughter, Princess Beatrice, upon the invitations of the Liu family.
Prince Andrew resigned from his royal duties in November, amid criticisms and public backlash over his friendship with the pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Essentially, this meant that the Duke of York is no longer supposed to represent Queen Elizabeth at royal functions.
However, Twitter users have, once again, voiced their disappointment upon learning that Prince Andrew was socializing with diplomats and even passing on messages for Queen Elizabeth. One royal fan wondered by Prince Andrew is still being treated as a "normal royal" when he expressed his intent to step back from his royal role.
Meanwhile, The Telegraph reported that Prince Andrew's flagship business project Pitch@Palace removed the Duke of York's name from its official website. Any reference to Prince Andrew in the site's history was also deleted and he is no longer identified as one of the founders.
Instead, the site has a notice indicating that it is undergoing changes. Pitch@Palace is, apparently, relaunching in the spring and its official location at Buckingham Palace has been closed down since two months ago.
Since quitting his royal functions, Prince Andrew has been less visible in the public and the press. The Duke of York is also foregoing his big birthday bash this February as he turns 60 years old.
According to BBC, Prince Andrew also deferred the traditional military honors he is supposed to get for his birthday. Palace sources said that he personally asked the Ministry of Defense to postpone this ceremony until his return to his official functions.
It's unclear when Prince Andrew will be back to his patronages again. Lawyers from New York for the Epstein case said that the royal is refusing to cooperate in the investigations into his friend's illegal activities.
Prince Andrew's biggest public outing, however, might happen at the wedding of Princess Beatrice in May 29. The Duke of York is reportedly walking his eldest daughter down the aisle but the royal event will not be televised live.
