Just In: New humiliation for Prince Andrew as Princess Anne steps in to honour his old school….See More

Prince Andrew’s fall from grace has resulted in the Duke facing a variety of humiliations since he stood down from royal duties in 2019

Prince Andrew has been dealt another humiliation as Princess Anne was chosen to honour his old school. The Duke of York attended Gordonstoun School near Elgin in Moray, like his brother’s King Charles and Prince Edward, but was not invited to a celebratory dinner at Windsor Castle.

The Duke of York was forced to give up his royal duties after his disastrous Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis in 2019, in which he was asked about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. His sister, Princess Anne who did not attend the private school, assumed the role of Warden for Gordonstoun in 2019. She attended the “intimate” event, which was held last Thursday, near Andrew’s Royal Lodge home.

The £61,440-a-year school only started to accept girls in 1972. The Princess Royal and her first husband Captain Mark Phillips chose to send their children, Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall to the establishment. A royal source told the Daily Mail’s Richard Eden for his column Eden Confidential: “I’m sure the duke would have loved to have attended the dinner if he had been invited.”

A spokesman for the school said: “In her role as Warden for Gordonstoun, Her Royal Highness held an intimate evening dinner attended by a small number of guests.” It comes as private schools have been squeezed by Labour’s tax raid after it ended the VAT exemption at the start of this month, adding an additional 20 per cent to parents’ bills.

Andrew recently found himself at the centre of another scandal after he was reportedly using suspected Chinese spy Chris Yang to act on his behalf when dealing with potential investors in China. Businessman Yang was invited to many events at royal residences.

Andrew is understood to have ceased contact with the businessman after the government raised concerns. Yang was barred from entering the UK in 2023 due to alleged engagement in “covert and deceptive activity” on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party. He played an important role in developing campuses in China for the Moray based private school. The school recently cut ties with a firm that was linked to the businessman after his identity was made public.