'Outcast': how the newspapers covered Prince Andrew's suspension of duties

Today’s newspaper headlines will make for extremely uncomfortable reading at Buckingham Palace as editors rip into Prince Andrew following his announcement that he is stepping back from public life.

The British tabloids pull no punches. They are led by the Daily Mail which runs a one-world headline: “Outcast”. Over a picture of the Duke of York in a dress uniform, the paper says the Queen and Prince Charles forced his hand and that the “bombshell” decision came hours after the Mail confronted the Palace with fresh claims. Its nine-page coverage of the story is titled “Duke’s disgrace”.

The Sun has “Prince Endy” as its headline, saying Andrew was “stripped of royal duties by the Queen” and that she was said to be “very disappointed” with her son.

The Express has “Andrew shamed into stepping down” after the Queen and other senior royals “recognised the monarchy had been badly damaged by his friendship with a paedophile”.

The Mirror splashes with “I’m sorry Mummy” and “prince grovels as he quits royal life and loses his £249,000 a year handout”. The paper says he has “kissed goodbye” to his royal allowance.

The Metro gets its music book out with “The banned old duke of York” and carries a picture of Andrew with Jeffrey Epstein, alongside a still from the TV interview the prince did with BBC Newsnight.

The Guardian has Prince Andrew as its main picture with the headline “Scandal forces prince to suspend public duties”. It saves its splash for Labour’s £75bn pledge to boost social housing.

The Metro leads with a picture of the Queen next to the headline “Crisis at the palace”, reporting that Prince Andrew has effectively resigned as a working royal as his mother moves to “shut down outcry” over his friendship with Epstein.

The Times has “Duke stands down after crisis talks with Queen”. It says Andrew’s decision to become the first member of the royal family to “effectively resign from duty” came after he talked to the Queen, Prince Charles and other senior family members. It says he will step down from more than 200 charity patronages “temporarily, according to the palace” and will take no part in public life for the foreseeable future. However, it says, he will still be a member of the royal family and will be on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on occasions such as trooping the colour.

The Telegraph has “Duke departs from public life” and says Andrew is ready to give evidence in the US investigation into Epstein.

The FT is the only paper not to carry Prince Andrew on its front page, instead leading on the US impeachment inquiry: “Sondland ‘followed’ orders from Trump on Ukraine quid pro quo” is its headline.