Family is family. Members of the British royal family acknowledged Prince Andrew on his 60th birthday amid his involvement in the Jefferey Epstein scandal.
The Duke of York was honored with a tribute post on the royal family’s official Instagram page on Wednesday, February 19. The update featured a black-and-white portrait of Andrew as an infant, which was followed up with a more recent shot of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip’s third child.
“On this day in 1960, Prince Andrew was born at Buckingham Palace, the first child born to a reigning monarch for 103 years,” the statement read. “Happy Birthday to The Duke of York.”
Sarah Ferguson, Andrew’s ex-wife, also paid tribute to her former spouse via Instagram. Ferguson, 60, shared a black-and-white snap of Andrew smiling while looking off into the distance, adding the caption: “Happy 60th Birthday to Andrew.”
Andrew and Ferguson’s daughter, Andrew and Sarah’s youngest daughter, Princess Eugenie, shared a sweet throwback pic to celebrate her dad’s milestone birthday. She posted a photo of herself as a child, riding on a pony while her father helped guide her. The 29-year-old wrote via Instagram, “Happy Birthday Papa!”
The former couple’s eldest daughter, Princess Beatrice, 31, did not honor their father via social media at the time of this publication. Neither did Prince William and Duchess Kate, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle nor Prince Charles and Duchess Camila.
Over the last several months, Andrew — who is eighth in line to take the throne — has been associated with the controversy surrounding his longtime pal Epstein. The financier took his own life in August 2019 at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York, where he was serving time after being convicted of one count for the human trafficking of a minor. Prosecutors alleged that he was also involved in a trafficking scheme.
Due to Andrew’s connection with Epstein, the London native announced his plans to step back from his royal duties late last year.
“It has become clear to me over the last few days that the circumstance relating to my former association with Jeffrey Epstein has became a major disruption to my family’s work and the valuable work going on in the many organizations and charities that I am proud to support,” the duke said in a statement in November 2019. “Therefore, I have asked Her Majesty if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission.”
In the wake of her father’s announcement, Beatrice canceled her engagement party with her fiancé, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. The gathering was initially scheduled to take place at London’s Chiltern Firehouse in December 2019, but Us Weekly exclusively confirmed that the engaged couple decided to have a more intimate celebration at her friend’s apartment.
