PRINCE Andrew has reportedly been banned from a public appearance in Windsor amid claims he had been keen to return to royal duties.

The Duke of York was apparently keen to appear at the Garter Day service after missing the Platinum Jubilee due to a positive Covid test.

However, The Sun reports that Andrew will only be allowed at private parts of today’s service.

His last public engagement was when he escorted his mother, the Queen, to the memorial service for the Duke of Edinburgh in March.

South Wales Argus: The Duke of York (left) and the Earl of Wessex at a previous Order of the Garter Service (Eddie Mulholland/The Daily Telegraph/PA)The Duke of York (left) and the Earl of Wessex at a previous Order of the Garter Service (Eddie Mulholland/The Daily Telegraph/PA)

He had been set to join the wider royal family at a service of thanksgiving in St Paul’s Cathedral on the second of the four-day Jubilee celebrations earlier this month but ahead of the ceremony it was announced that he had caught coronavirus.

The Sunday Times reported that Andrew, who is a Garter Knight, would be present alongside senior members of the royal family on Monday for the annual service in St George’s Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle.

But The Sun said that heirs to the throne, the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge, had lobbied the Queen on the issue.

Senior royals feared a “backlash”, the newspaper said, adding that Charles and William were said to have agreed on their approach before telling the Queen, who made the final decision.

Buckingham Palace and a representative for Andrew have been contacted for comment.

The news came as it was claimed Andrew wanted his HRH status reinstated.

The Queen’s second son stepped away from public life after the furore over his friendship with paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, He paid millions to settle a civil sexual assault case, to a woman he claimed never to have met.

The Duke was cast out of the working monarchy after Virginia Giuffre, who was trafficked by Epstein, accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17.

Andrew denied the claims.

In January, ahead of his legal settlement in the case, the Queen stripped Andrew of his honorary military roles, including Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, and he gave up his HRH style.

On Sunday, the Telegraph quoted an unnamed source as saying: “The colonelcy of the Grenadier Guards was his most coveted title and he wants it back. Having remained a Counsellor of State, he also believes he should be included at royal and state events.

“Most importantly for him is his status as an HRH and ‘Prince of the Blood’ and he feels that should be reinstated and his position recognised and respected.”