Prince Andrew being 'airbrushed' out of all key Royal Family moments to eliminate 'risk' to Firm

Prince Andrew is being airbrushed out of key royal moments, a leading expert has claimed.

Katie Nicholl told GB News there was little chance Andrew would be allowed to issue any form of public statement following the announcement his daughter, Princess Eugenie is giving birth to her second child.

Nicholl said: “He has been airbrushed out of key family moments.

“If you think back to her sister Beatrice's wedding, there was no official picture of Andrew.

"I think the risk of bringing Andrew in any capacity, even a happy story like this moment, is that it then reignites everything else that comes with the Andrew story.

“It's only been days since we had reports that he's going to challenge that settlement.

“From a human side of things, of course, if you've been accused of doing something you haven't, you want to fight back, I do understand that.

“For the image of the Royal Family, you're just saying we're on the eve of a coronation, to suddenly push all of this out into the public domain, my personal feeling is it can only be hugely damaging.”

She added: “He said he would make himself available to the FBI that he was willing to be questioned, he laid everything out on the table, but that never happened.

“This just feels too late. He's used part of his inheritance from the Queen to pay off this settlement.

“I think he just needs to slip into the background quietly and to be honest, even if he were to go through all of these steps the idea that he's coming back into royal life, it's not going to happen.”

Nicholl also lavished praise on Prince Andrew's youngest daughter Princess Eugenie: “I think she is a thoroughly fresh, modern, I'm going to say bit part royal, because she's not a full-time working Royal, but when she needs to step up to the occasion she does.

“She's doing what Charles has envisaged for members of the Royal Family that aren't in direct succession to the throne, having a career, having a family, having an ordinary life.

“[Eugenie] announced that she is having a second baby - not a huge surprise, their little boy August has just turned two."

In March 2022, Prince Andrew paid a financial settlement to his accuser Virginia Giuffre - formally ending a civil case brought against him in the US.

The Duke of York's settlement was not an admission of guilt to the accusations.