Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor did not join the royal family on the Buckingham Palace balcony during the 2026 Trooping the Colour celebration.
King Charles III celebrated his annual birthday parade and military flypast on Saturday, June 13, with his wife, Queen Camilla, and his son Prince William, who was accompanied by wife Princess Kate Middleton and their three children: Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, 7.
Trooping the Colour takes place in London every June to celebrate the monarch’s birthday. Charles was honored with the Horse Guards Parade, despite his actual birthday falling in November.
Andrew’s absence comes months after he was arrested by the Thames Valley Police this past February.
Authorities confirmed at the time that the disgraced royal family member was taken into custody on “suspicion of misconduct in public office” regarding his longtime friendship with the late Jeffrey Epstein.
Prior to Andrew’s arrest, police confirmed to the BBC that they were looking into allegations that the former Duke of York shared confidential information with Epstein during his tenure as U.K. trade envoy.
The investigation into Andrew has since expanded to include accusations of sexual misconduct. The Thames Valley Police confirmed in May that they were looking into reports that “a woman was taken to an address in Windsor in 2010 for sexual purposes,” confirming that they had spoken to the unknown woman’s legal council.
Authorities confirmed that they were working alongside U.K.’s Crown Prosecution Service and the United States Department of Justice.
“Our team of very experienced detectives are working meticulously through a significant amount of information that has come in from the public and other sources,” Thames Valley Police Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright shared in a statement last night. “We are committed to conducting a thorough investigation into all reasonable lines of enquiry, wherever they may lead.”
Andrew has been under fire for years because of his close-knit relationship to Epstein, who died in 2019 after being arrested on sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking charges.
In October 2025, Charles stripped his younger brother of his official royal titles as Andrew’s relationship with Epstein continued to make headlines.
“Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. His lease on Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to continue in residence,” Buckingham Palace shared in a statement at the time. “Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease and he will move to alternative private accommodation. These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him.”
The statement concluded, “Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.”
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