Yahoo News Prince Andrew booed as he's driven down The Mall ahead of King Charles coronation
Prince Andrew was booed by a small crowd of onlookers as he was driven down the Mall ahead of his brother's coronation.
The Duke of York, 63, appeared to have a sour look on his face as he was driven from Buckingham Palace in a state car on Saturday morning.
It was previously announced that Andrew would have no formal role in the ceremony, having stepped down as a working royal over his links to Jeffrey Epstein and his now-settled lawsuit with Virginia Giuffre.
However, the King's brother did wear his ceremonial Order of the Garter robes, in contrast to previous occasions.
The Order of the Garter is the oldest and most senior Order of Chivalry in Britain.
Last June, Andrew did not appear alongside senior members of the royal family at the annual Order of the Garter ceremony at Windsor Castle, and he did not wear his robes at the Queen's funeral, instead donning a suit as Prince Harry did today.
Despite playing no formal role in the coronation, Andrew - who stopped using the title His Royal Highness in an official capacity in January 2022 - joined the rest of the Royal Family in the third row of Westminster Abbey for the ceremony.
Prince Harry, who also played no formal role after stepping back as a working royal to start a new life in the US with his family, was also in the same row.
Both he and Andrew will also miss out on stepping out onto the balcony of Buckingham Palace with senior members of the family, as is tradition after many royal events.
Police arrested republican and Just Stop Oil protesters in Trafalgar Square and The Mall on Saturday, with many holding placards and chanting: 'Not My King'.
One placard read: "God save Virginia Giuffre", a reference to the alleged sexual abuse case involving Andrew, who settled a case with Giuffre in February last year.
Despite suggestions that the Duke of York could be preparing for a comeback to his public duties, a poll by Yahoo News UK showed the majority of Brits believe Prince Andrew can never return to public life following the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
The exclusive Savanta poll for Yahoo News UK shows 68% of British people surveyed believe Andrew can never return to public life, while just 18% believe he can one day return to public life and 15% said they don't know.
Read more: London becomes sea of red white and blue on Charles III coronation day
Andrew stepped down from public duties in 2020 following a TV interview over his friendship with convicted paedophile Epstein, who died in prison in 2019.
The interview was widely perceived to be damaging for the prince, and prompted renewed calls from the US FBI that he testify about his friendship with the disgraced financier.
In a statement at the time, Andrew said: "It has become clear to me over the past few days that my association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to my family’s work and the valuable work going on in the many organisations and charities that I am proud to support.
"Therefore, I have asked Her Majesty if I can step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission."
