Prince Andrew is turning 60 years old on Wednesday, Feb. 19, but he will not have a lavish celebration. Usually, Buckingham Palace hosts a special party for a royal's milestone birthday, but the Queen will be working on this day.
According to Hello! Queen Elizabeth will see through a few official engagements in London on Prince Andrew's 60th birthday. Her Majesty has recently returned to her residence after spending the long holidays in Sandringham, so this coming week will also be her official return to work.
The British monarch will be at the opening of two medical facilities on Wednesday, Feb. 19. She will grace the Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitals to unveil the state-of-the-art features of the new facility.
According to Daily Express, Queen Elizabeth's diary is actually full-packed on the day Prince Andrew celebrates his milestone. However, there will be a small dinner in honor of the royal with the rest of the family. It is understood that the dinner will take place in Buckingham Palace, but there will be a few family members absent from the party, such as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Before his controversial BBC interview about his friendship with the sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, Prince Andrew was all set to have a grand birthday celebration as he turned 60. Plans were scrapped, however, when the interview resulted in a backlash, and the public grew angry at the royal, especially after a victim claimed she had an intimate encounter with Prince Andrew during one of Epstein's parties when she was a minor.
Amid the backlash, Prince Andrew also reportedly declined a military promotion. The Duke of York was primed to be an Admiral for his 60th birthday, per tradition. However, a spokesperson from Buckingham Palace said that the eighth in line to the throne is deferring this honor until he resumes his public duties.
Prince Andrew decided to step down from his royal work amid the backlash of his BBC interview. However, in January, photos of the Duke of York with the Ambassador of the U.K. to China appeared online, where he extended Queen Elizabeth's sympathy for those who died from the novel coronavirus.
The public wondered if Prince Andrew has been quietly returning to the public since his indefinite resignation. Buckingham Palace, however, clarified that Prince Andrew's dinner with the ambassador was a personal and not an official function. The Duke of York was there with his family, daughter Princess Beatrice and ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York.
