Prince Andrew seems to be more visible in the limelight today as he attends the memorial service of Sir Malcolm Ross at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. However, the Duke of York suffers a huge embarrassment after he fails to represent her mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and be acknowledged at the event. But, he seems to be determined to attend more engagements in the future.
Ross was one of the queen's courtiers when he was still alive. He was Comptroller of the Lord Chamberlain's Office, and later Master of the Household to the Prince of Wales. He passed away last year at the age of 76, and the memorial service was held to commemorate his life and work.
However, despite Prince Andrew's effort to represent Queen Elizabeth at the event, he seemed to be not allowed to do so. According to Express, the monarch sent her own "little-known courier" to formally represent her in her absence. At the time, she was at the Commonwealth Day service in Westminster Abbey with other members of the royal family.
To add insult to injury, Prince Andrew's attendance was also not acknowledged in the Court Circular, which holds the record of official royal engagements. Instead, it noted that Queen Elizabeth was represented by the retired officer, Sir Andrew Ford.
Despite what happened, Sarah Ferguson's former husband reportedly plans to go to more engagements soon. A source close to him told The Sun that he was "dipping his toe in the water by going to the service."
Prince Andrew allegedly believes he is innocent, and he doesn't see why he shouldn't return to royal duties. "He still has a lot to offer," the insider added.
Meanwhile, a member of the congregation told Daily Mail's Sebastian Shakespeare that Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie's father looked a big sheepish when he graced the memorial. A lot of people were also surprised to see him at the event.
The service was attended by about 800 people, most of whom were Ross' friends and family. It was the first major event that Prince Andrew attended after he announced his decision to step back from his royal duties in November due to the controversies he got involved in.
He also went to a Chinese New Year party hosted by the Chinese Ambassador to London, but that was a private event. However, this, too, caused a huge controversy after he held a message to the Ambassador from Queen Elizabeth. To recall, Prince Andrew's BBC Newsnight turned into a disaster and was met with a lot of criticisms after he was questioned about his friendship with the late criminal sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
