Prince Andrew, Duke of York Current Events 6: July 2011-February 2015

[Baroness of Books]

It's self-indulgent acts like this that cause his undoing. He can be his own worst enemy.

 

[Grandma828]

Do we know the complete story?

 

[tommy100]

Do we know the complete story?

What else do you want to know?

I actually read this story first in the Sunday Times which reported all the same facts as the Daily Mail article which makes me think they must be pretty much true as the Times is usually good with its facts.
As much as Andrew should be responsible for this own actions I wonder why he is allowed to do things like this. I know royal Household staff can't say anything too bad to a Royal but someone needs to sit him down for a serious chat. If he doesn't want to stay in still rather luxurious but free accommodation then he should pay for it himself!!
The only possible excuse is that somebody else was already staying at the official residence (Which hasn't been mentioned in any of the reports). However IMO even then Andrew could have pulled rank as a royal and the whoever else was staying sent out to a hotel to book into a room that would most likely have been much much cheaper as Andrew booked one of the most expensive possible.
I don't mind necessary expenditure on royal events etc even for Andrew, i've understood that at times private jets are a necessity but in this case its just unnecessary, luxurious expenditure.

 

[tommy100]

While from one PR disaster to another:
Stepping grandly from a private jet you paid for, Airmiles Andy on his way to visit India's slumdog poor | Mail Online

Prince Andrew has been accused of ‘extraordinary crassness’ after jetting into an Indian slum on a private plane.
The Duke of York was visiting Mumbai’s Dharavi slum – the setting for the hit film Slumdog Millionaire – as part of an official tour of India to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
But last night it emerged he had chosen to fly to the home of some of the world’s poorest people in a private plane he chartered at taxpayers’ expense.

In addition i though this part of the article as most telling:
On the first day of his tour, Prince Andrew reportedly turned up late to a garden party before snubbing reporters

Some journalists were allegedly escorted from the premises for trying to talk to him, with his spokesman reported to have told them: ‘The royalty doesn’t talk to the press.’
The next day the Hindustan Times, one of India’s leading newspapers, ran the headline ‘Duke Andrew gives the royal ignore’.
Palace officials strongly denied that he was late, that reporters were escorted out for trying to talk to him or that they were told ‘the royalty doesn’t talk to the press’.
Meanwhile, in Britain, his week-long visit became the focus of ridicule after his ex-wife tweeted about his ‘gruellingly busy’ schedule.
‘The Duke has been a hit in India and has made such an impact on behalf of the UK,’ the Duchess of York wrote. ‘India is so taken by him.
'Great Britain should know of his committment (sic) and hard work to this country!’
Her remarks sparked dozens of online comments. One wrote: ‘Must have been really hard for him. Poor bugger.’ Another asked the Duchess: ‘Are you being paid for this?’

If Andrew's staff did talk to the media like that it shows his superior attitude is rubbing off on his staff lol!

 

[Meadow]

Wow I didn't think he could be even more stupid. Andrew really needs to stop going overseas cause how has this helped anyone? Of course Andrew needed a private plane he always does he isn't paying for it so why would he care? If he had to put his hand in his own pocket for this stuff he would soon stop it. Sounds like his staff enjoyed the hotel as much as he did. Of course he will keep on doing these things as long as the bills get paid by someone else. The Queen needs to do something about him. As for Sarah and her comments she really shouldn't have said anything.

 

[Mirabel]

The Queen is indulgent toward Andrew, but these stories are so damaging for the family.
She really should step in, because his antics do everyone harm, not just the Yorks.

 

[EIIR]

That article is rather disingenuous on the Daily Mail's part. Prince Harry chartered a private jet for his tour of the Caribbean and it wasn't queried by any of the press. The DM really has it in massively for Andrew. I'm not saying he hasn't made mistakes, but every single week they publish stories about his transport in particular.

I would love to hear why he refused to stay at the High Commission, though. I can't imagine staying in a Lutyens designed mansion would have been any sort of hardship.

 

[cepe]

6 cities in 6 days - cannot be done by any scheduled indian airline within the timescale. The plane didn't touchdown in the slums - it arrived at the city airport. DM always always needs a victim. I feel sorry for him.

 

[tommy100]

I agree that the private jet was the only way to do 6 cities in 6 days and I'm not in for criticizing the Royals for using such planes when necessary. However IMO the hotel is unnecessary, if there was a fully valid reason Andrew couldn't have stayed there then his press advisers would have let it be known by now.
However I am always amazed at how often Andrew uses private jets compared to others for example Princess Anne. Why not schedule the trip so it doesn't take in 6 cities in 6 days, I wonder if Andrew makes his schedule so it allows for such excuses? Just a thought...
I don't feel sorry for Andrew because he has done stuff like this far too often now, he clearly loves the luxury life and is happy to let the taxpayers pay for it as he feels they should.

 

[EIIR]

All the BRF who make overseas visits try to cram as much into their visit as possible. Keeping the visits quite short is probably an attempt to keep costs down, ironically. All the security people who travel with Andrew (which given the part of the world he's currently in would be considerable) all have to be put up in good hotels, all their meals have to be provided and they get something like £150 per day of spending allowances for expenses. I read about Eugenie recently that when she was backpacking in Thailand on her gap year she did as most backpackers do, economy flights and hostels as a place to stay. The protection officers, however, had to fly business class and stay in at least 4 star hotels everywhere they went.

But, ultimately, as we saw in the recent BBC documentary, all transport decisions for the RF are taken by the Queen. Andrew will have had to put his case to HM as to why he needed to charter a plane. So if Andrew's mis-using helicopters and planes, he's doing so with the Queen's permission.

 

[tommy100]

Well we already know HM doesn't like to say no to her children ;-)

 

[Meadow]

Andrew does the private plane thing even when it hasn't been needed so it is going to get questioned. He always has an excuse as to why he needs to use the helicopter instead of driving somewhere and the use of private planes is far greater then any other member of the RF. Harry's trip was a huge success maybe that is why it wasn't questioned? There is no reason why he had to use that hotel when there was another place for him to stay at no cost. The more he does these things the more he is going to be a joke and not taken seriously. The Queen needs to start saying no to him I can't see how he can do his job is people do not take him seriously!

 

[Queen of Quitealot]

If it's true that HM must 'ok' Prince Andrew's travel arrangements, it makes me wonder if or how things will change when, in due course, the 'ok' must come from Charles.

 

[tommy100]

IMO the Queen doesn't google flights in India for andrew's trip to see if he could have flown by scheduled flights. I think she'll have been presented by his itinerary (6 cities in 6 days) and have trusted her staff and the DOY's staff to ensure no other options were available. I feel she very much just rubber stamps what is presented to her, that's not a criticism just what I think happens. I just think Andrew has stretched out the use of private jets in the past that when ever he uses them he will get criticized.

 

[Queen of Quitealot]

IMO the Queen doesn't google flights in India for andrew's trip to see if he could have flown by scheduled flights. I think she'll have been presented by his itinerary (6 cities in 6 days) and have trusted her staff and the DOY's staff to ensure no other options were available. I feel she very much just rubber stamps what is presented to her, that's not a criticism just what I think happens. I just think Andrew has stretched out the use of private jets in the past that when ever he uses them he will get criticized.

I'm sure you're correct.

 

[Artemisia]

Duke of York hosts Buckingham Palace 'thank-you' banquet for Princess Beatrice’s university

Frustrated in his efforts to secure a place for his daughter in “the Firm”, the Duke of York has ensured that she is, nevertheless, treated like the Princess that she is. Mandrake can disclose that Prince Andrew hosted a lavish banquet at Buckingham Palace last week as a “thank you” to the university from which Princess Beatrice graduated with a 2:1 degree in history and history of ideas last summer.

 

[Mermaid1962]

In this context, it seems like it was less a party for Beatrice than the usual sort of event that's held at Buckingham Palace.



“The event was co-ordinated by the alumni team, with the backdrop of Beatrice studying there,” says an official at Goldsmiths, University of London, who asks not to be named. The college declines to make any comment on the banquet.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman confirms that the event took place, but insists that it was held at the college’s initiative. “The Duke of York held a dinner at Buckingham Palace after receiving an approach from Goldsmiths, University of London,” says the spokesman.

 

[NGalitzine]

Yes, that was obvious when you read the story, but it is the usual sort of stuff Mandrake would produce and it makes a better stroy if you can write that Andrew threw a lavish party at the palace for Beatrice and perhaps imply that it was for the college granting her a degree.

 

[Artemisia]

So this is what Airmiles Andy calls slumming it?
A private jet, £10,000-a-night suite, a butler, TWO masseurs, and a gold bedroom (for a visit to India's poorest areas)

There’s a scene in the new Sacha Baron Cohen film, The Dictator, when the title character steps on to American soil for the first time. Dressed in naval whites with gold braid dripping from his shoulders, and an improbable number of medals for heroism pinned to his chest, the extravagant delusion of the man is laughable.There was something equally Ruritanian about the Duke of York last week when he stepped off his private jet en route to the slums of Mumbai.

I'll say this for Andrew - his medals are at least earned.
On the other hand, this has to be one of the few instances when I actually find myself agreeing with a DM article on the Yorks. What was the point of staying in the luxurious hotel when he could have stayed in the High Commissioner's residence? If it had been good enough for the Heir to the Throne, surely it was good enough for Andrew?


The article does mention the good work Andrew did there too:

Andrew was, by all accounts, deeply moved and clearly made a good impression on those he met — but the irony of returning to such a lavish suite that night seemed to have been entirely lost on him.

It would be churlish to suggest that Andrew did not work hard, meeting and greeting hundreds of dignitaries, business moguls and members of the public.

And regarding the use of private jet:
​

Buckingham Palace sources argue passionately how it was not Andrew’s decision to hire a jet but that of the Royal Household, which deemed it the only feasible way to cover so many engagements - 34 in all - around the country in six days.

Royal sources have made clear that Andrew feels deeply aggrieved by the ‘negative’ coverage his trip has received. The visit was, after all, undertaken at the Queen’s request, and other Royals carrying out similar Jubilee trips have taken - or are planning to take - private jets on specific legs of the visits. Prince Harry, for example, used a private plane when flying between Belize, the Bahamas, Jamaica and Brazil earlier this year.

​

 

[iceflower]

.

The Duke of York arriving at an event at ADIB on Park Lane, London on May 16, 2012.



** Pic **

 

[Artemisia]

Prince Andrew, Duke of York, presented Operational Service medals to the 4th Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment at York racecourse on May 17, 2012 in York, England.
The Duke is Colonel-in-Chief of the Yorkshire Regiment.

- Prince Andrew
- Presenting medals
- Talking to the soldiers

Gallery from Daylife

 

[marine2109]

Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Presents Operational Service Medals At York Races

Getty Images - Search: GBR: Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Presents Operational Service Medals At York Races#

 

[Mermaid1962]

The sale of Sunninghill Park is being investigated.

The investigators seem to be concerned that the property was bought as part of a money-laundering scheme. However, there's no suggestion in this article that The Duke of York was aware that the money was possibly tainted.

Corruption probes launched into Duke of York's £15m home deal | Mail Online

 

[LadyGabrielle]

It was nice to see Andrew and the girls on the interview. He looked good and the girls looked way better than they have in the past. I liked the fact that they all had a say about the Queen as a mom and a grandmother. Very nice.

 

[yvr girl]

Here's an interview Prince Andrew gave for the Jubilee to the CTV in Canada. He also covers a large range of topics.


CTV Exclusive: Prince Andrew on his family at Jubilee | CTV News

 

[Thena]

I haven't been able to watch the full interview yet (I really should be trying to get some sleep!) but you do see Andrew burst into laughter. It's quite different from the bored, grim countenance he seems to portray at most official events these days.

 

[Artemisia]

Prince at service to remember Falklands fallen
Duke joins in salute to the West's fallen

The Duke of York joined other Falklands war veterans in a tiny Somerset church yesterday to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the conflict, on the anniversary of the Argentinians' surrender. St Bartholomew's Church, once simply the parish church for the village of Yeovilton, but now the Fleet Air Arm Memorial Church, was packed with Fleet Air Arm personnel, including Falklands veterans, as well as others who have retired.

 

[EIIR]

The Duke of York took part in a charming video for an initiative in the UK called Code Club, which aims to teach children how to code. The Duke is being interviewed by the kids for a position as a volunteer, and the first thing the kids say is "we were kind of hoping for Prince Harry actually, Mr Windsor". Lots of other high profile people appear in the video too:

Code Club - The Interview - YouTube

 

[Baroness of Books]

That is a really adorable video; love these kids and their tag phrase, "What do you think you bring to the table." Prince Andrew is a bit of a ham, too, with his influential mother. Very clever and thanks for posting, EIIR.

 

[yvr girl]

That's a cute video.