Prince Andrew left the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral in the back of his new £ 220,000 racing green Bentley that he had provided with personalized license plates.
The 61-year-old Duke of York was in the back of the 200 mph green Bentley Flying Spur – which was blue when it was first delivered in September before being painted.
The motorcycle, with his personal number plate, was pictured riding out of Windsor Castle on his way to the nearby Royal Lodge, the house Andrew shares with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, 61.
Hours earlier, Prince Andrew walked behind his father’s coffin as it was slowly carried to St. George’s Chapel in Windsor on the back of a custom Land Rover hearse.
In the chapel, Andrew sat closest to the Queen – with the family still separated by countless empty seats due to social distance rules.
The Duke’s appearance at the funeral came 18 months after he relinquished royal duties following his disastrous Newsnight interview about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.
Prince Andrew left Prince Philip’s funeral in a brand new £ 220,000 racer green Bentley. The 61-year-old Duke of York was seated in the back of the 200 mph green Bentley Flying Spur (photo arrival at the funeral) – which was blue when first delivered in September before being spray painted
Hours earlier, Prince Andrew solemnly walked behind his father’s coffin as it was slowly carried to St George’s Chapel in Windsor
In the chapel, Andrew was closest to the Queen – with the family still separated by countless empty seats due to social distance rules
The new Bentley joins Andrew’s fleet of luxury engines, including a £ 115,000 petrol hybrid Range Rover, The Sun reports.
Prince Andrew was seen in the back of the car replacing an old Bentley that the Duke owned.
It was revealed this week that Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson made frequent visits to the Queen after Prince Philip’s death.
The Queen sat alone at the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral on Saturday in tear-jerking images that shocked the nation.
However, the royals rushed to her side after Philip’s death, led by Andrew and his ex-wife with sources saying Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex also spent “ a lot of time ” supporting her.
With the Queen now coming back to life without her 73-year-old husband, she will also reside at Windsor Castle with a ‘bubble’ of 22 royal housekeepers, including some of her closest aides.
Today it was revealed that Windsor’s ‘bubble’ will be the only group to join her on Wednesday for her 95th birthday – her first without Philip in seven decades.
Plans to mark the day with a new portrait of her will be shelved as she is still in the official period of royal mourning for her beloved husband.
Prince Philip’s blatant absence will be impossible to ignore, and the build-up to what should have been a joyous day will be overshadowed by speculation about the great divide in her family.
While onlookers were encouraged by the sight of William and Harry engaged in conversation as they left their grandfather’s funeral on Saturday, sources said meaningful reconciliation between the brothers was still a long way off.
It was said yesterday that Harry would be flying back to Los Angeles very soon after being seen with his brother and sister-in-law Kate for the first time in over a year.
That leaves little time to heal open wounds and it is not known whether the 36-year-old saw his father Prince Charles outside of Saturday’s emotional proceedings.
Previous Bentley: The Duke of York driving a 2019 model of the Bentley Flying Spur – worth around £ 130,000
Prince Andrew drove his £ 115,000 Range Rover on the Windsor estate in December 2020
Kate seemingly broke the ice outside St George’s Chapel by talking to Harry, to whom she had once been so close.
As the family group walked back from the ceremony – an impromptu decision, given that a fleet of state cars had been laid out for the mourners – they lingered a bit so that the brothers, driven apart by Harry and Meghan’s bitter decision to surrender royal duties say and move to the US, could talk.
The body language was stilted and the exchange seemed to be little more than a polite chat, but it was a start.
Senior royals, including the Queen, Charles, William and Harry, spent more than an hour together outside in the castle grounds before going their separate ways at 6pm.
They were unlikely to have any serious discussions, but it was the most time they’d spent together as a family since Harry and Meghan left the UK more than a year ago.
However, royal sources warned last night that ‘one swallow doesn’t make a summer brand’ and the rift between the two men, especially after the series of hurtful and deeply damaging allegations made by the Sussexes in their bombshell Oprah interview last month, remained deep.
The Queen bowed her head as she sat alone in St. George’s Chapel at the funeral on Saturday
The Queen’s Bentley followed the coffin from the castle to the church, behind the Land Rover and her family
One insider went so far as to suggest that the bitterness between the brothers could take years to heal, if ever.
And they stressed that there was still widespread anger in the royal family and the household in general over the allegations the couple made against them – most notably, allegations of racism and that Meghan was suicidal for lack of support.