Prince Andrew broke down in tears when King Charles III refused to entertain the idea of the disgraced royal returning to his official duties.
Charles, then the Prince of Wales, shot down the possibility in a one-on-one meeting with Andrew that left the Duke of York “bereft” and “tearful,” according to the U.K. Daily Mail.
The meeting occurred in the days preceding Queen Elizabeth II’s death in September.
Prince Andrew was all but fired from his royal duties in 2019 as the controversy surrounding his association with deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein made his role untenable, according to People.
Andrew lobbied for a path to return to active royal life in the meeting, with both brothers likely aware that Charles would soon succeed his mother as monarch.
The future king bluntly told Andrew that a return as an active royal wasn’t in the cards.
“Charles told him that he can go off and have a good life, a nice life, but that his public life as a Royal is at an end,” a source familiar with the conversation said, according to the Daily Mail.
“He was told, ‘You have to accept this.’’”
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Andrew was “totally blindsided” by Charles’ decision, which he made clear to him at Charles’ Birkhall estate in Scotland.
Andrew was also told — in a different meeting — that he wasn’t allowed to wear a British military dress uniform to Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, a decision that also moved him to tears, according to the royal source.
This decision would later be reversed in the days preceding the funeral, with both Andrew and Prince Harry allowed to wear military dress uniforms during separate vigils for the late monarch.
The development has reportedly left Andrew unable to function with despair.
Andrew had been close to his mother and hoped she would be willing to facilitate an eventual return to public life, according to the Daily Mail. The queen’s death rendered such a possibility much less likely.
The impact of Charles’ decision has led those close to Andrew to fear for his well-being, according to the Daily Mail.
The disgraced royal has adopted the lifestyle of a recluse, seldom leaving his Windsor residence.
“He has no idea what the future holds and has no real plans,” the source said of Andrew’s future, describing his royal life as all that the former Epstein confidante had ever known.
A spokesperson for Prince Andrew declined to comment in response to the report, according to the Daily Mail.
