Prince Andrew returned to the royal fold today as he attended the Duchess of Kent’s funeral with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.

The Duke and Duchess of York have joined other members of the Royal Family for an emotional private memorial at Westminster Cathedral.

Katharine, the wife of the Duke of Kent and a cousin by marriage to the late Queen, passed away peacefully at her home, surrounded by family, on the evening of September 4 at the age of 92.

Prince Andrew withdrew from his role as a working royal following controversy over his association with the convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. Nevertheless, he continues to participate in private family gatherings.

The Duke and Duchess of York were seen departing from Andrew’s Royal Lodge in Windsor. They were then driven to Westminster Cathedral, where they arrived shortly after the Duchess of Edinburgh.

Royal Family members such as King Charles, Prince William, and the Princess of Wales attended the event. However, Queen Camilla had to cancel her appearance due to acute sinusitis.

Prince Andrew’s attendance coincided with renewed attention on the Epstein scandal, prompted by a ‘birthday book’ revealing numerous messages and photos from friends, including Lord Mandelson, on Epstein’s 50th birthday.

Mandelson, who has recently been dismissed from his role as a US ambassador, had called Epstein his ‘best pal.’ It was later revealed that he urged Epstein to seek an early release while facing charges for soliciting a minor.

The latest fallout has led to fresh questions over those who had links to Epstein, including Andrew who was accused of sexual abuse by one of the financier’s most prominent victims, Virginia Giuffre.

The family of Ms Giuffre have now called for the the Duke of York to be fully investigated.

Prince Andrew, the Duke of York arrives for the Requiem Mass service for Katharine, the Duchess of Kent

Prince Andrew returned to the royal fold as he attended the Duchess of Kent’s funeral with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson today

Prince Andrew and Fergie enter Westminster Cathedral

Ms Giuffre, who took her own life in April, claimed Epstein introduced her to Andrew at the age of 17 in 2001, and that he sexually abused her three times.

The prince, who has always denied the claims, reached an out-of-court settlement with her in 2022, believed to be upwards of £12million.

Sky Roberts, Ms Giuffre’s brother, told the BBC on Sunday: ‘It doesn’t matter if it’s a Royal Family member or president or prince… every single person deserves to be held to the fullest extent of the law.

‘Of course he’s been stripped of… all of these different things and publicly shamed in certain ways, but that’s not enough.

‘The fact that he’s still out there, that he’s still living in a palace or a castle is not enough.

‘It’s time we put every single person, whether you’re a royal, Prince Andrew, you need to be fully investigated, and if it is found that you had any participation, you need to be put behind bars for the rest of your life.’

He claimed the Royal Family had not reached out to them.

As the Epstein scandal continues to haunt Andrew, he returned to the royal fold alongside other members of the Royal Family, apart from Camilla who was forced to pull out with illness. 

The announcement raises questions over Camilla’s attendance at US president Donald Trump’s high-stakes and busy state visit, which begins in full at Windsor on Wednesday and is being hosted by the King.

The Queen, is, however, hopeful that she will have recovered sufficiently to be able to attend all royal elements of the controversial American leader’s trip as planned, with highlights including a lavish state banquet.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: ‘With great regret, Her Majesty The Queen has withdrawn from attendance at this afternoon’s Requiem Mass for The Duchess of Kent as she is recovering from acute sinusitis.

‘Her thoughts and prayers will be with The Duke of Kent and all the family.’

The Duke of Kent has been informed, and is said to fully understand Camilla’s decision, and has sent his best wishes for a speedy recovery.

The Queen travelled down from Scotland this morning and is currently en route to Windsor to rest.

Today’s Requiem mass, a Catholic funeral, is the first to be held for a member of the monarchy in modern British history.

The Order of Service was released this morning showing that the Pope has sent a special message in honour of the duchess which will form part of the ceremony.

Pope Leo XIV’s words will be read to the congregation by Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendia, Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain.

A devout follower of the Roman Catholic faith, the Duchess became the first member of the royal family to convert to Catholicism for more than 300 years, doing so in 1994, and it was her wish to have her funeral at Westminster Cathedral.

Personal elements of the deeply religious service include the participation of three of the Duchess’s grandchildren – Lady Marina-Charlotte Windsor, Eloise Taylor and Albert Windsor who will read the Prayer of the Faithful.

A large wreath of British garden flowers, chosen by the Duchess’s family, has been placed on top of the coffin and includes white roses, the symbol of Yorkshire, the county where she was born, and sprigs of yew from the gardens of Hovingham Hall, the Duchess’s childhood home, representing eternal life.

Her coffin is a wicker construction made from English willow and is draped with the royal standard which has a white ermine border signifying she was the spouse of a prince.

It was received during a solemn ceremony at the cathedral for the Rite of Reception and Vespers on the eve of her funeral service, with immediate family in attendance, and the coffin resting overnight in the Lady Chapel.

The Duke of York arrives for the Requiem Mass service for the Duchess of Kent with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson

King Charles III arrives at the funeral for the Duchess of Kent at Westminster Cathedral today

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive for the funeral at Westminster Cathedral today 

Soldiers from The Royal Dragoon Guards, a regiment she supported as deputy Colonel-in-Chief, played an important role, with a piper leading the funeral cortege and other soldiers carrying the coffin into the cathedral.

The Duchess’s will be the first royal funeral at the cathedral, in Victoria, central London, since its construction in 1903.

The last Roman Catholic funeral definitively known to have been held for a member of the British royal family in England was nearly 500 years ago when Queen Mary I died in 1558.

The King will not be the first monarch to have attended a Catholic funeral, as Queen Elizabeth II attended the Catholic state funeral of King Baudouin of the Belgians, at St Michael’s Cathedral in Brussels, in August 1993.

Charles, when Prince of Wales, also went to Pope John Paul II’s funeral, representing his mother the late Queen, in 2005, while his son William attended Pope Francis’s funeral mass earlier this year.