[imagesource: David Abiaw / REX / Shutterstock]

I do say, old chap, you haven’t been seen out and about all that much in the past few months.

Funny how being associated with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell and facing multiple accusations of being a “sweaty nonce” will eventually catch up with you, right?

Following the passing of his ardent defender, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Andrew is finding support very hard to come by.

Banished: Prince Andrew, a damning look at the life and times of the Duke of York, was labelled “character assassination of the most brutal, and deserved, kind”.

It’s perhaps no surprise, then, that the royal has become a “virtual recluse” inside his home at Royal Lodge, where he lives with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.

The New York Post with more from sources allegedly close to the Duke:

[He] only leaves his mega-mansion to ride a horse or walk the dogs…

Image: Mega

“These days, he barely goes out at all. He rarely goes out socially in the evening — where would he go? The only times he used to go out were to visit the queen at the castle and now he can’t even do that,” a friend of the former royal [said].

At least he was given the Queen’s corgis, although even that led to ridicule that he’s nothing more than the “royal dog walker-in-chief”.

Over the weekend, he was spotted horse riding with gossip rags saying he looked “downtrodden” and “glum”.

Cheer up, Andrew, at least you’ll never have to live like a peasant regular citizen. According to The Telegraph, he doesn’t have to look after the 30-room home in Windsor Great Park sans help:

Having splashed out on a new £220,000 Bentley Flying Spur (which he had sprayed racing green because he didn’t like the original colour), and with the Duchess having recently purchased a £5 million mews house in Mayfair, many have questioned how ‘jobless’ Andrew funds his and Fergie’s pseudo-royal lifestyle.

Image: Samir Hussein / WireImage

Although the pair do sometimes cook for themselves, they retain a chef and a housekeeper, as well as personal assistants and other staff.

Reports suggest Andrew and Fergie have been made an offer from the Royal Family powers that be which would ensure they are financially secure.

As has happened in the past, seeking funds elsewhere (often from unscrupulous sources) has led to trouble.

There are unconfirmed rumours that he has started attending counselling and undergoing psychotherapy. That’s nothing to be ashamed of, even if all sorts of dark secrets likely lurk in the corners of his mind.

One insider said that “the Duke of York of today is much more thoughtful and more mindful than he has ever been”.

Can the same be said for those who allege they suffered greatly at his hands?

[sources:nypost&tele]