Queen Elizabeth Reportedly Cancelled Prince Andrew's 60th Birthday Party

From Country Living

The fallout from Prince Andrew's ill-received BBC interview about Jeffrey Epstein continues this week, according to the Times. The publication reports that Queen Elizabeth has cancelled a large celebration planned for Prince Andrew's 60th birthday, which would have highlighted his charities—all of which he's stepped back from, as of this morning. Instead, the royals will mark Andrew's February birthday with a "small family dinner."

This news is more or less in line with the Queen's post-BBC interview actions, which suggest that she is still willing to support Andrew as a son, if not as a working royal.

Notably, after Prince Andrew released a statement on Wednesday, announcing that he was stepping "back from public duties for the foreseeable future," it was widely reported that he had done so after a conversation with the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

Still, a source for the Times said that the Queen is "privately supportive" of her son, if also "deeply frustrated" with how his scandal has affected the family's image. She reportedly felt "hoodwinked" by his decision to go on BBC's Newsnight. "The Queen did not give her approval" for Andrew's now-infamous interview with Emily Maitlis, a royal source added.

And just two days after Andrew announced his semi-retirement from royal duties, the monarch was seen horseback riding in Windsor alongside Andrew. The move was widely interpreted as a public show of support for her son, as the Queen's horseback rides are reliably reported in the press—and rather than comfort Andrew in private, she chose to do so out in the open.

You Might Also Like

• 60+ Grilling Recipes for an Epic Summer Cookout

• The Best Reese Witherspoon Movies, Ranked

• 70 Impressive Tiny Houses That Maximize Function and Style