Usually, major royal birthdays see a wave of photo tributes on the House of Windsor’s official social media channels. But as the Duke of York turned 60, things were more low key than normal.
Prince Andrew’s big birthday was marked on the Royal Family’s Twitter and Instagram accounts. The messages included a sombre portrait of the Duke of York and an archive image of him as a baby alongside a Happy Birthday wish.
Strangely, the full image of the person holding Andrew in the old photo wasn’t shown although from the clothes it seems clear the baby prince was pictured with his maternal granny, the Queen Mother.
Clarence House and Kensington Palace didn’t mark the Duke of York’s birthday and, so far, there has been no celebration on the official Instagram of his younger daughter, Princess Eugenie. However, Andrew’s former wife, did mark the event. Sarah, Duchess of York posted a black and white photo accompanied by the message ”Happy 60th Birthday to Andrew”.
The lack of posts is no surprise. Late last year, the Duke of York stepped back from public life amidst ongoing controversy over his relationship with convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. Prince Andrew faced further criticism after a disastrous interview given to BBC Two’s Newsnight programme.
Andrew Albert Christian Edward was born on February 19th 1960, the second son and third child of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. He was the first baby born to a reigning monarch in over a century. Prince Andrew was second in line to the throne at the time of his birth. He is now eighth.
