Andrew attends christening in first royal event since being stripped of titles

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is at his first royal event since being stripped of his titles as he attends the christening of his granddaughter Athena.

The former prince arrived at St James’s Palace in London in a green Range Rover on Friday morning, entering via a side gate away from waiting media.

He had been expected to attend the christening of Princess Beatrice’s daughter in the palace’s Chapel Royal.

Andrew’s attendance comes after the King officially stripped his disgraced brother of both his HRH style and his prince title because of his “serious lapses of judgment” over his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

His ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who also lost her courtesy royal divorcee title and has reverted to her maiden name, is thought to have arrived separately for the christening earlier on Friday.

Athena, the daughter of Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, was born on January 22 and is the couple’s second child.

The private ceremony was also attended by Beatrice’s sister Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank.

Other notable figures to arrive for the service included singer James Blunt and his wife Sofia Wellesley.

The christening appeared to feature just immediate family and no senior Royals were present

Andrew was photographed riding privately in Windsor Great Park last month, but his most recent outing is the first royal event he has attended since the funeral of the Duchess of Kent at Westminster Cathedral in September.

The former duke has for many years faced allegations that he sexually assaulted a teenage Virginia Giuffre after she was trafficked by Epstein. Andrew strenuously denies the accusations.

He paid millions to Ms Giuffre to settle a civil sexual assault claim in 2022.

Andrew stepped down from royal duties in 2019 after his disastrous Newsnight interview, but the publication of Ms Giuffre’s posthumous memoirs, and the US government’s release of documents from Epstein’s estate has brought fresh focus on Andrew in recent months.

American politicians have also criticised the former prince for his “silence” after he missed a deadline last month to respond to their request to sit for an interview about Epstein.

He is set to move from Royal Lodge in Windsor to the King’s private Sandringham estate in Norfolk at some point in the new year, completing his internal exile.