‘Jolly' Andrew breaks cover before royal Christmas: ‘happy to take control'

Ex-Prince Andrew appeared unbothered and unfazed in the face of adversity as he stepped out for the first time since he marked a big win.

While the public opinion about King Charles’s brother has not changed and neither is the royal family any more receptive to his presence, the former Duke of York seemed in high spirts, even ‘smug’, as a body language expert pointed out.

Andrew, who is set to move out of the Royal Lodge next year after his shameful allegations, was last seen in November horseriding on the Windsor property. He emerged once again on Saturday but his demeanour was much different than last time.

The outing came just hours after it was revealed that the Met Police will not be pursuing any criminal charges over allegations that he tried to “dig up dirt” on his late accuser Virginia Guiffre. Judi James suggested that in the latest appearance, Andrew sported “a hint of a jolly, smug-looking smile one minute”.

In a moment, when Andrew hailed a motorist, he made an “authoritative and confident-looking wave”. Whereas, last time, he looked “slumped and dejected”.

“He’s also looking ahead rather than at the ground and his expression, with his chin pulled into his neck, gives the appearance of being far more jovial,” Judi told The Mirror. “The wave, with his lips clamped and his hand held high, makes him look happy to take control and much more confident than he did before.”

The outing comes just days before the royal family is set to gather at Sandringham for the annual royal Christmas tradition. The royal are understood to hope that all goes well until the Christmas Walk and the attention doesn’t direct to any shamed former members of the royal family.