The royal family's ‘invisible man’ Prince Andrew’s comeback is not happening anytime soon

Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, has been out of the public eye for a long time, after his ties with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the legal settlement with Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexual abuse. He has also lost his royal roles and patronages, and faced criticism from various quarters.

But recently, he was seen in a car with the Prince and Princess of Wales, heading to a church service near Balmoral, where the Royal Family spends their summer holidays. This sparked some speculation that he might be on his way to a comeback, or at least a reconciliation with his family.

Is this really possible? And would the public accept him back into the fold?

Per Anna Whitelock, a royal commentator and professor specializing in modern monarchy history at City, University of London, the response is negative.She says that people are not ready for his return, and that it would be very risky for the Royal Family to try to rehabilitate him.

“People aren’t ready for his return.”

She points out that King Charles is still trying to establish his own identity as monarch, and that he should not let his reign be overshadowed by a controversy over Prince Andrew.

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She also says that the priority should be repairing the relationship with Prince Harry, who has been estranged from his family after stepping back from royal duties.

One insider stated that nothing has changed about Prince Andrew’s status, and that the car journey was not a sign of any olive branch. He might attend a family event, but that does not mean he will resume his royal duties.

Prince William, who is second in line to the throne, has also been reported to be opposed to Prince Andrew’s public appearances. It is understood that he threatened to pull out of last year’s Order of the Garter ceremony if Andrew was in the parade. Andrew was kept away from the public eye, and was characterized as a choice made by the family.

The Duke of York has always strongly denied any wrongdoing in the claims against him, but Sir Anthony Seldon, author and historian, says that any comeback would require remorse and contrition. He asserts that a premature return, lacking authentic and entirely persuasive humility, along with adequate explanations for past inquiries, could permanently undermine his chances of rehabilitation and inflict further harm to the monarchy.

Gideon Benaim, head of the reputation protection team at law firm Simkins, says that restoring Prince Andrew’s image would be a challenge. He says that the public has clearly cast Prince Andrew into a bleak reputational pit and few are ready to consider or accept his rehabilitation.

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He adds that people also like to forgive, but only if they are provided with evidence of genuine contrition, humility, and a sense that a person has learned the lessons of their own poor behaviour. He refers to the case of John Profumo, a politician from the 1960s who experienced a downfall due to a sex scandal. He subsequently engaged in quiet charity work for many years in London's East End and eventually redeemed his reputation, being honored with a CBE by Queen Elizabeth in 1975.

Prince Andrew might want to get back into royal duties, but it seems that he has a long way to go before he can regain the trust and respect of the public. For now, he continues to exist as the ‘invisible man’ within the Royal Family.

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