Prince Andrew faces fresh Royal snub as family distance grows

Prince Andrew just can't seem to catch a break. 

After a scandal-ridden 2024, the new year hasn’t offered much reprieve for the embattled royal. Instead, it’s delivered another blow that likely hit close to home.

Once a key figure in royal circles, Andrew has seen his public life unravel since his infamous 2019 Newsnight interview. 

The fallout forced him to retreat from official duties, and in January 2022, the late Queen stripped him of his military titles and patronages. 

More recently, King Charles tightened the purse strings by cutting his royal allowance and nudged him toward vacating Royal Lodge for a smaller property. 

To top it off, the Duke of York was notably absent from the family’s Christmas celebrations at Sandringham, reportedly due to his links to an alleged Chinese spy.

Now, Andrew’s woes have extended to his own backyard. Despite living just a stone’s throw from Windsor Castle, he was excluded from a prestigious dinner honoring his alma mater, an event attended by none other than his sister, Princess Anne. 

"I’m sure the Duke would have loved to have attended the dinner if he had been invited," a friend of Andrew's told The Daily Mail’s Richard Eden. 

Gordonstoun boasts an impressive lineup of alumni, including two generations of British royalty. 

Prince Philip, King Charles, and Prince Edward all passed through its hallowed halls, and the school even attracted non-royal elite, including David Bowie’s son, Duncan Jones, and Jason Connery, son of Sir Sean Connery.

Princess Anne, although not a Gordonstoun graduate herself—it didn’t admit girls until 1972—has long been a champion of the school. 

She and her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips, sent their children, Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall, to follow in their grandfather’s footsteps.