Prince Andrew, Duke of York Current Events 4: September 2008-October 2009

[Al_bina]

Prince Andrew has been accused of squandering an estimated £60,000 of public money by chartering a luxury private jet for a three-day visit to a corrupt ex-Soviet republic Azerbaijan Andy... Prince takes £60k private jet to see oil-rich friends in hardline ex-Soviet state | Mail Online

... a corrupt ex-Soviet republic ... The British mass media should avoid negatively describing another country because the UK is not exactly a paragon of honesty and integrity ... Going back to Prince Andrew, people fail to notice that he promotes business interests of British companies in the oil-rich Azerbaijan. Instead of looking at all aspects of this trip, Daily Mail is like a pack of blood-thirsty hounds tearing Prince Andrew apart ... as usually ...

... [snipped] Andrew needs to realise on his own that his image is not a very good one at the moment. He needs to clean up his image a little bit.

I am not sure what Prince Andrew can do to mend and improve his public image. He will face criticism no matter what he does.

 

[muriel]

I am not sure what Prince Andrew can do to mend and improve his public image. He will face criticism no matter what he does

I agree with your statement that Andrew is probably likely to get grief irrespective of what he does. That said him being a little careful of his travel expenses and who he hangs around with will not do him harm!!!

 

[Lumutqueen]

I agree with your statement that Andrew is probably likely to get grief irrespective of what he does. That said him being a little careful of his travel expenses and who he hangs around with will not do him harm!!!

Indeed. Yes there are something the royal family will always be criticised for, but flying around the world on private jets, highlighting to the world how the royal family are still better of in the credit crunch isn't very good. If he tones down his image he would be criticised less for this. I know that some royal trips are neccesary for whatever reason but, there are better ways of getting there.

 

[rmay286]

Somehow i don't know why but i don't see Andrew as being the apple of his mothers eye. There's something about him. I always think Edward as being the favourite.
Andrew needs to realise on his own that his image is not a very good one at the moment. He needs to clean up his image a little bit.

No, I think the Queen kind of dotes on Andrew. I remember watching this relatively recent documentary that gave glimpses into the Queen's life (I'm sure someone has seen it) and the Queen was talking to an aide or someone about a recent royal engagement, and she said very fondly, "Well Andrew went to see the helicopters, you know, because that's his thing," or something like that. I remember smiling at the clip because the Queen came across as a bit of an indulgent mother when it came to Andrew. (That doesn't mean that she isn't equally fond or indulgent towards her other children, though.)

I do think that Andrew is not doing himself any favours by: a) Refusing (if this is true; it's only been reported that Andrew is the one to blame) to rethink police protection for his daughters
and b) Using private planes for his trips abroad. I don't think that Andrew is an extravagant person through and through because of other things I've heard about his lifestyle (doesn't drink, keeps very disciplined bedtime hours). I think that he is just an extremely traditional, follow-the-book type of person. If he perceives using private jets to be "the way it's always been done" or even "the way some other people do it" then he will keep doing it. The same with the bodyguards for his daughters, which is the other issue that keeps getting brought up in The Daily Mail and which Andrew keeps getting blamed (rightly or wrongly) for.

 

[NotAPretender]

I saw this article and was intrigued from a business standpoint. But most of all - one of the the pictures showing Andrew's left side looked startlingly like - Charles!

Remember when Andrew was handsome? Sigh. Just another Windsor now, with Battenberg posture.

 

[Mermaid1962]

Perhaps there's a solid reason for taking private jets. Doesn't he take business people along on these trips as well as his own retinue? There's also the problem of scheduling. If a person needs to be a number of places within a short period of time, perhaps a private jet is a better way to travel. If the private jet is sheer self-indulgence, then I don't agree with it. But if there are real, practical reasons for it, they should be considered as well. Also, the Daily Mail isn't privy to everything that goes on on these trips and/or what the security concerns are. I'd like to see a serious biography of Prince Andrew produced for his 50th birthday.

... a corrupt ex-Soviet republic ... The British mass media should avoid negatively describing another country because the UK is not exactly a paragon of honesty and integrity ... Going back to Prince Andrew, people fail to notice that he promotes business interests of British companies in the oil-rich Azerbaijan. Instead of looking at all aspects of this trip, Daily Mail is like a pack of blood-thirsty hounds tearing Prince Andrew apart ... as usually ...

 

[iceflower]

Pic 10.6.2009

Prince Andrew leaving Harry's Bar, London, June 10, 2009

------> Pic
.

 

[Lumutqueen]

Air miles Andy is back in town and hitting the bar.
I assume he'll be at the Trooping and the garter ceremony. Doing his duty.

 

[Skydragon]

Perhaps there's a solid reason for taking private jets. Doesn't he take business people along on these trips as well as his own retinue?. QUOTE SHORTENED

Apparently he was only accompanied by two bodyguards and an official, the Mail would have been able to get that information from the official documents lodged for the flight.

But one of the country's leading independent journalists, Ibrahim Bayandurlu, said: 'We just do not understand exactly what it is Andrew does, or why he needs to come here so often.

Nor do we Mr Bayandurlu, nor do we!

 

[Mermaid1962]

Then again, it wouldn't be in the Daily Mail's interest to say that there were more people on the flight, would it?

Apparently he was only accompanied by two bodyguards and an official, the Mail would have been able to get that information from the official documents lodged for the flight.
Nor do we Mr Bayandurlu, nor do we!

 

[Skydragon]

Then again, it wouldn't be in the Daily Mail's interest to say that there were more people on the flight, would it?

Probably not but BP or UKT&I are normally fast enough to point out IF there were more staff involved or IF it was considered to be work as we know it.

 

[Wisteria]

Probably not but BP or UKT&I are normally fast enough to point out IF there were more staff involved or IF it was considered to be work as we know it.

Yes, I believe you are right they would be even faster than members of TRF, so I think that for once we can believe the Daily Mail.

 

[PrincessofEurope]

'Air Miles' Andy's £2k 43-minute flight ... to his golf club | Mail Online

 

[Skydragon]

He really doesn't seem to have any interest in the disgust this engenders with members of the public, toward the Royal Family!

 

[Lumutqueen]

He really doesn't seem to have any interest in the disgust this engenders with members of the public, toward the Royal Family!

He certainly doesn't.
How old is the Prince? He's acting like a spoilt rich kid who cares little for how his image makes the entire royal family look. It's shocking really.

 

[Skydragon]

Prince Andrew has been criticised by an MP for hiring a helicopter for an estimated £2,000 to take him from Windsor to a golf course in Kent for a party.

Prince Andrew criticised over flight to golf club party - Telegraph

The Prince spent about an hour at the Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club in Deal, where he reportedly ate "a moderate amount" of canapés and spoke "entirely about golf". --

However a spokesman for the Prince, who has been dubbed "Airmiles Andy" because of his fondness for flying, said it was an "entirely justifiable expense".

No, it was not!

 

[tommy1716]

Clearly this global recession isn't hitting everyone.

Prince Andrew’s new car does 10mpg | The Sun |News|Royals

Nice new car for P. Andrew. I think he know has the poshest car of most members of the royal family.

 

[Lumutqueen]

Indeed. Andrew just doesn't seem to understand how damging he is being to the royal family. I hope something is done and quickly.

 

[iceflower]

Pic 17.6.2009

Prince Andrew out last night, London, June 17, 2009

-----> Pic

 

[misselle]

I agree with your statement that Andrew is probably likely to get grief irrespective of what he does. That said him being a little careful of his travel expenses and who he hangs around with will not do him harm!!!

I agree with you 100%. Andrew is working hard for British Industry and his job requires traveling.He is called "Airmiles Andy" for the traveling his job requires,but if he wasn't traveling and doing his job,plus royal duties,he would be criticized for doing nothing! But then,when he hires a helicopter ,he does open himself up to more criticism. I hope he paid for the trip himself,though...

 

[Skydragon]

I agree with you 100%. Andrew is working hard for British Industry and his job requires traveling.He is called "Airmiles Andy" for the traveling his job requires,..

I don't think everyone believes Andrew is essential to or working hard for British industry, in this country or abroad! He is called Airmiles Andy for his misuse of the royal jet and helicopters!

 

[misselle]

Obviously everyone doesn't.In this day and age the royal family really needs to watch their expenditures because for some people,they can do nothing right.

 

[Marsel]

I don't think that everyone takes a helicopter to arrive at a golf course, and then dubs it 'entirely justifiable expense'.

Although some of the use of private jets and helicopters may be explained by requirements of his job, I do believe that a lot of criticism he receives for using (or misusing) private means of transport is deserved.

 

[ghost_night554]

Has this been posted? Today Show Video Player

 

[iceflower]

Pics 22.6.2009

Prince Andrew at a dinner and discussion hosted by
Thomson Reuters, in New York, June 22, 2009.


** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 ** Pic 3 **

 

[iceflower]

Pic 2.7.2009

Prince Andrew, Duke of York arrives at Sir David Frost's
Summer Party on July 2, 2009 in London, England.


-----> Pic

 

[Lumutqueen]

Might I point out that the most recent posts discussed in this forum have something to do with Andrews overspending and misuse of helicopters. And the recent posts from Iceflower have been pictures of Andrew out at dinner or at a party. The dinner in NY hardly could count as work.

I apologise to anyway who find this offensive, but I just don't think Andrew does a good enough job.

 

[Iluvbertie]

As the dinner in NY also included discussions and that is was he does - discuss, with other people, how they can invest in Britian, how can you say that it wasn't work?
At that level a lot of business in conducted over dinner, or at least confirmed, over dinner so he could very well been doing his job at this dinner.

 

[Skydragon]

Prince Andrew has been granted 'sweetheart' property deals with the Crown Estate - making himself millions of pounds profit and securing a rent-free residence for his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie

Prince Andrew earns millions from 'sweetheart' land deals - winning Beatrice and Eugenie rent-free accommodation | Mail Online

 

[Lumutqueen]

Well Well Well.
I can understand not wanting to put the royal houses on the open-market. But everything else, even Prince Edward and the bagshot estate is wrong, damaging news for the royals in this current climate.