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Buckingham Palace today confirmed that a service will be held on Monday to mark Garter Day, for the first time since 2019. And Prince Andrew may join other Knights of the Order of the Garter .
A statement recently released by Buckingham Palace read: “A service for the Most Noble Order of the Garter will be held at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on Monday, June 13, 2022.
“Members of the Royal Family will walk in a procession to the chapel, and after the service, will set off in a horse-drawn carriage for their journey back to the castle.
“During the service, the Duchess of Cornwall will be installed as Royal Dame of the Order of the Garter.
“A Lady Companion, Baroness Amos, and a Knight Companion, Sir Anthony Blair, will also be installed.”
Prince Andrew was invited to attend Garter Day on Monday (Image: GETTY)
Prince Andrew is a Knight of the Order of the Garter (Image: GETTY)
The statement does not mention whether Prince Andrew will be attending.
Still, his presence has been widely reported as possible by commentators in recent weeks.
Sharing the Palace statement on Twitter, royal author Omid Scobie included the Duke of York among Garter Day attendees, noting he is still one of the Knights of the Order.
He wrote: “Monday June 13 is Garter Day at Windsor Castle (the first since 2019).
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Prince Andrew and Prince Charles on Garter Day in 2015 (Image: GETTY)
“Members of the Royal Family, including Prince Andrew, who remains a Knight of the Order of the Garter, will accompany the procession to a service at St George’s Chapel before returning to the castle by carriage.”
And a source close to Andrew told Newsweek: “Te Duke is still planning to attend Garter Day.”
It comes after the Duke was forced to pull out of Platinum Jubilee celebrations after testing positive for COVID-19.
The Queen’s second son is believed to be now fully recovered, as he was spotted driving in Windsor on Thursday.
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Prince Andrew walked down the nave of Westminster Abbey with the Queen (Image: GETTY)
Prince Andrew and the Queen arrived together at Prince Philip’s memorial service (Image: GETTY)
Prince Andrew last attended a public event in March, when he visited Westminster Abbey for the service of thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip.
While her attendance was expected as one of the Duke of Edinburgh’s children, the Duke partially overshadowed the poignant ceremony by taking on the prominent role of accompanying the Queen from Windsor to London and walking alongside her in the nave of the abbey.
The Duke stepped down from public duties in mid-November 2019, after his disastrous interview with Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis focused entirely on his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In January, a day after New York Judge Lewis A. Kaplan rejected a request from the Duke’s lawyers to dismiss the civil lawsuit launched in August 2021 against Andrew by Virginia Giuffre, he returned his military and royal patronages to the Queen and Buckingham Palace announced he would continue to refrain from royal duties.
What is the Order of the Garter? (Picture: EXPRESS)
The Duke, who has repeatedly and vehemently denied any wrongdoing, reached an out-of-court settlement with Ms Giuffre a few weeks later – a move that did not amount to an admission of liability.
In its latest statement regarding Garter Day, Buckingham Palace also did not mention whether the Queen would be attending.
Andrew and the Sovereign are among the 10 Royal Knights and Ladies of the Garter, cabinet member titles can be bestowed directly by the monarch without government interference.
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, is the last royal to be included in this order, created by King Edward III nearly 700 years ago.
Prince Andrew speaking to the press in April last year (Image: GETTY)
This order of chivalry can count a total number of 24 Dames and Knights among its non-royal members, while the monarch can appoint an unlimited number of Firm members and foreign sovereigns.
All of the Queen’s children were included in this order, along with Prince William and three close cousins of the Queen – Princess Alexandra, the Duke of Kent and the Duke of Gloucester.
Garter Day normally takes place in stages and begins at Windsor Castle with the formal appointment of new members.
After a lunch, the Knights and Dames head to the nearby St. George’s Chapel wearing the traditional Garter robes to watch the service, before returning to the castle by horse-drawn carriage.