Prince Andrew 'secretly' plotting public return amid King Charles' absence

Prince Andrew could be orchestrating a comeback to public life as the royal family continues to grapple with current health crisis.

The Duke of York has been at the center of the family since the few last public appearances of the royals; he initially took part in a walkabout at Sandringham estate on Christmas Day.

He later led the royals at the memorial of late King Constantine of Greece in February, shortly after King Charles was diagnosed with cancer and took a step back from public duties.

Most recently, he joined the likes of King Charles and Queen Camilla at Easter Sunday service at St George’s Chapel.

Speaking to Business Insider, royal commentator Kristen Meinzer said: "It felt like a relaunch of the disgraced spare — or a miscalculated attempt to assure the public that the royal family is doing just fine, minus Charles, William, and Harry.”

Evan Nierman, a PR expert and author, noted the palace is certainly not in on Andrew’s ambitions to relaunch himself after he was stripped off his position as a working royal in 2019.

"The family has much more to lose than gain by continuing to appear with Andrew, so there is certainly a case to be made for keeping their distance," he told the outlet.

"He may personally be looking for opportunities to rebuild his public profile, but I doubt it's an effort that is being done in coordination with the royal family and its PR apparatus,” the founder and CEO of crisis communications firm Red Banyan added.