In February 2021, Prince Andrew’s birthday still carried faint traces of royal recognition, though the tone was already subdued. The bells at Westminster Abbey were initially scheduled to ring for him, a tradition usually reserved for senior royals, though public backlash quickly followed given his ongoing exile from royal duties. While his family reportedly marked the day privately, the UK government had already stopped requiring official buildings to fly the Union Flag in his honour — a quiet but telling sign of his fading royal stature. Even with some ceremonial remnants, the mood around his 61st birthday was one of awkward restraint rather than celebration.

By February 2022, the contrast could not have been sharper. Amid mounting public anger and the fallout from his legal settlement with Virginia Giuffre, his 62nd birthday passed with no royal fanfare, no public tributes, and certainly no bells ringing. Councils and institutions across Britain declined to fly the flag, and even within the royal household, his day was reportedly marked in muted isolation. Once a senior member of the monarchy celebrated with pomp and protocol, Andrew had become a symbol of disgrace, spending his birthday largely out of sight — a living reminder of how far a prince can fall when reputation collapses faster than privilege can shield it.


to contact me:

[email protected]

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.