Prince Andrew leads royals at King Constantine memorial service as William pulls out

Duke of York pictured smiling with Sarah, Duchess of York Duchess of York, Zara Tindall, Sir Timothy Laurence, Mike Tindall and Princess Anne

The disgraced Prince Andrew has been pictured leading the royal family to a memorial service at Windsor Palace.

The Duke of York, who stepped down from royal duties five years ago, was pictured smiling as he walked with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, Princess Anne and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, to the thanksgiving service for late King Constantine of Greece on Tuesday.

Andrew’s step back into the spotlight came as Prince William pulled out of the service to his godfather due to an undisclosed personal matter.

Prince Andrew (left) leads the line alongside Sarah, Duchess of York, Zara Tindall, Sir Timothy Laurence, Mike Tindall and Anne, Princess Royal at a memorial service for the late King Constantine of Greece (Getty Images)

Also absent were King Charles, who continues to receive treatment after his cancer diagnosis last month, and the Princess of Wales, who is recovering from abdominal surgery and is not expected to return to public duties until after Easter.

Queen Camilla, however, did attend the memorial service at St George’s Chapel.

Constantine died on 10 January at the aged of 82. His funeral in Athens was attended by Princess Anne, who is second cousin to the late monarch, and her husband Sir Tim.

At Tuesday’s thanksgiving service, pictures were taken of the royal family arriving and the chapel ceremony. Members, who were dressed in black, were seen together for the first time since the King’s shock cancer diagnosis earlier this year.

Also in attendance was daughter Princess Beatrice with husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and the King’s cousin Lady Sarah Chatto.

Andrew alongside his ex-wife, who was diagnosed with malignant melanoma, a form of skin cancer, this year (Getty Images)

Andrew’s public appearance amongst the pack marks a turnaround for the prince who has been at the centre of headlines over his links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and accusations that include allegedly groping a woman’s breast and sexually assaulting Virginia Giuffre when she was 17.

The royal strongly denies all claims made against him. The Metropolitan police has rejected calls to investigate him following the release of court documents citing the accusations in January.

But in 2019, he stepped back from public duties after giving an interview with the BBC about his friendship with Mr Epstein, before returning his military titles and royal patronages in 2022.

Andrew reads from the service book at the thanksgiving ceremony for Constantine at St George’s Chapel (Getty Images)

He has also stopped using His Royal Highness in an official capacity.

There is a belief that Andrew wishes to return to public life - and there may be an opportunity with so many leading royals currently unable to make public duties.

But royal expert Richard FitzWilliams, speaking toThe Independent in January, said the prince’s desire for a return to public life was “hopeless” given that his presence causes ongoing embarrassment for the British monarchy.

“Part of this problem is his attitude generally towards royal life and life itself, simply because his outlook in past years has been so entitled,” he said. “The royal family has a problem that just won’t go away. He makes news whenever he appears.”