'Prince Andrew should be 'thrown into Windsor Castle ditch' after banishment'

Prince Andrew should be allowed to with the Garter Knights before he is permanently banned by the Queen, suggests expert writer in Mirror.co.uk.

She begins: "Of course he's a man with too much honour, too much privilege, too much royalty. Too many titles, if you ask the people of York, and too much brass neck if you ask anyone else.

"Which excess of honour - and brass - is the reason why he will be dressing up in velvet robes, draping himself in precious gems, and sticking an ostrich feather-bedecked cap on his head to parade before the ticket-holding public as one of the 20 most chivalrous people in the kingdom. As a Royal garter knight, inducted for personal service to the Queen, he believes he will be in the public procession in a private capacity, which makes about as much sense as anything else he's ever said.

"The problem is, the only service he's performed for the Queen is to move her family closer to compulsory redundancy. Andrew waited almost a quarter of a century after his friend admitted child sex offences before regretting his association with him. Lawyers attacked his accuser for years, before he agreed she was one of Epstein's many victims. And by dragging the scandal out from 2010 to 2022, he did more to damage the Royal Family than Diana, Fergie, or Meghan.

She continues: "So the Queen appoints her family to the Order of the Garter because monarchs have done so for nearly 700 years. The most honourable people she can think of will parade in their finery, because she can't think of a lollipop lady who'd be worth a slot. And Prince Handsdrew will be among them, despite it all, because otherwise it's just golf between here and the grave.

The writer then suggests degradation for the Duke of York.

"But there is another fine old tradition which Her Majesty could, if she wanted, reinstate. It's called 'degradation', and last happened in 1716, after the Duke of Ormonde was booted from the Order of the Garter after supporting a Jacobite uprising. It's the Royal equivalent of that moment in Mary Poppins when Mr Banks has a hole punched in his bowler hat.

"The Garter King of Arms reads an Instrument of Degradation, as heralds remove the knight's banner, sword and helmet from above his stall. They are thrown to the floor, and kicked by heralds down the length of St George's Chapel, out of the doors, and into the Windsor Castle ditch, which is as fine a resting place for Prince Andrew's honour as anyone can think of," she concludes.