Royal family forces Prince Andrew to cancel junket to Bahrain just two days after he was stripped of public duties
Prince Andrew failed to bypass the Queen's edict that he step back from royal duties after he was forced to cancel a trip to Bahrain over the weekend.
The Duke of York was planning to attend a Pitch@Palace event at a luxury hotel in Bahrain on Saturday, November 23, before a crisis meeting was held at Buckingham Palace late on Thursday, November 21, according to a Daily Mail report.
Although Andrew had publicly declared on Wednesday, November 20, that he was standing aside from public duties for the foreseeable future, the 59-year-old prince wanted to continue with the trip.
Sources have claimed that Prince Charles, who is currently on tour in New Zealand, and several other senior royals have stressed that Andrew has to take the Jeffrey Epstein furor seriously, especially since attending the Bahrain event would have made a mockery of his midweek statement.
Previously, Charles and Prince William convinced the Queen to cast her second son away from the spotlight so that his friendship with the disgraced billionaire financier would not damage the Monarchy permanently.
Nonetheless, Andrew reportedly assumed he could still attend private events and functions relating to his "business" work, which he differentiated from his public activities.
"This is about protecting the institution of the monarchy itself", a senior royal source told the Evening Standard, adding that Prince Charles had told their mother that "swift action" was required.
"There could be only one conclusion… The Duke of York (Andrew) had to withdraw from the fray and from public life. It is very sad," the source added. "Obviously, both the Queen and the prince [Charles] love Andrew — but the health of the monarchy is too important to risk."
In the wake of the scandal that is still grabbing headlines, several universities and charities are distancing themselves from Andrew, and by extension from his Pitch@Palace initiative.
"Bullying survivors and protecting predators is a thing of the past. Time to evolve and expose these evil monsters for what they are!" tweeted Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of Epstein's sex slaves.
It is uncertain if Prince Andrew will continue to receive an undisclosed amount of allowance from the Queen, especially since he is supposed to be confined to attending royal family events. Furthermore, the fallout has resulted in his daughters Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice also being pulled into the spotlight.