Andrew stepped back from public duties after the backlash from his 2019 Newsnight interview, which was dubbed a "car crash". He had attempted to draw a line under his relationship with Epstein - but instead saw him heavily criticised for showing little empathy with the sex offender's victims.

       A senior military source told The Times: “The Queen has let it be known to the regiment that she wants the Duke of York to remain as colonel and the feeling is that nobody wants to do anything that could cause upset to the colonel-in-chief.

       "It is a very difficult, unsatisfactory situation.

       “His position is not tenable or viable.

       "How can you have a colonel who can’t perform the role?

       "For the brief time he was in post, he was a good colonel, but the feeling across the regiment is that it’s not appropriate to retain him.

       "You can’t have a colonel who can’t do public duties.”

       More to follow...