Prince Andrew to mark 62nd birthday without royal fanfare

Britain's Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, attends a memorial ceremony to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation from German occupation in Bruges, Belgium, in 2019, but there will be no standing on ceremony for him as he marks his 62nd birthday without the usual tributes. Photo / AP

The Duke of York faces the quietest birthday in modern royal history as he turns 62 on Saturday without the tolling of bells or raising of flags in the wake of his sex abuse case settlement.

The Duke will mark the day privately at Royal Lodge, as he maintains a period of silence following the fallout of the case.

It is his first birthday since Westminster Abbey confirmed it will never again mark the date by ringing its bells, and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport updated its guidance on the flying of flags from Government buildings to remove it.

The change is understood to have been made in consultation with Buckingham Palace and leaves the Queen and Prince of Wales as the only members of the royal family whose birthdays will be celebrated by official flags and bells.

The bells of Westminster Abbey will not ring for the Duke, who missed out on the celebration last year because of Covid-19 restrictions but was given the honour in 2020, even after his Newsnight interview about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.

The decision, made temporarily in 2020, is "now permanent", a source said.

'No longer a requirement'

A number of authorities had already declined to honour the Duke's birthday, after his reported £12 million (NZ$24m) settlement of a sex abuse case brought against him proved the final straw in public opinion.

A spokeswoman for Westminster Abbey said: "Due to the financial challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, Westminster Abbey will ring its bells only for the birthdays of HM The Queen and HRH The Prince of Wales."

In 2020, after emails insisting that local authorities fly the flag for the Duke's birthday were leaked, DCMS clarified that it was "no longer a requirement" for them to do so.

But the date, February 19, remained on the list of official "designated days" on its website until the end of 2021. On February 11, it discreetly removed the birthday for the 2022 calendar.

A government spokeswoman said: "Since 2021 the default position in Great Britain is that the Union Flag flies all year round unless another flag is being flown.

"However we routinely review the list of designated days for flying the Union Flag on UK Government Buildings.

"These changes make the days consistent with other commemorative events, such as gun salutes."

A source said the Duke would be spending Saturday "quietly at home".

His mother the Queen is in residence at nearby Windsor Castle and was this week receiving official guests after a Covid scare.

The Duchess of York lives at Royal Lodge and is expected to celebrate her ex-husband's birthday with him, with visits or video calls from his two daughters and grandchildren.