Prince Andrew secretly making nightly visits to see the Queen at Windsor Castle under the cover of darkness
PRINCE Andrew has been secretly making nightly visits to see the Queen at Windsor Castle — under the cover of darkness.
The disgraced duke, who had his 62nd birthday yesterday, was driven to see his mum every night last week to discuss his £12million Virginia Giuffre sex case settlement and future role.
And The Sun on Sunday can reveal he has apologised to his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie over the scandal, as well as to the Queen.
Andrew has made the five-mile car journey from his Royal Lodge home into Windsor Castle every evening to speak to Her Majesty, 95.
A royal insider said: “Andrew has been very careful and is trying to keep out of sight.
“He knows there are photographers in the daytime and his best chance to avoid them is after dark.
“He knows he is meant to be keeping his head down and it’s a short trip, but he is extremely contrite and apologised to the Queen for all the trouble he has caused her.
“He realises how serious this whole issue has been and the damage it has done to the monarchy.
“The last thing he wanted to do was cause his beloved mother so much anguish at her age and in her Platinum Jubilee year.
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“He is just so grateful for her support and it’s certainly true that the Queen has a soft spot for Andrew and regards him as her favourite son.”
Yesterday, flowers and cards were seen being delivered to Royal Lodge, Berks, on Andrew’s birthday.
Running to his mother is not new behaviour for Andrew, who has done it before during times of legal crisis.
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He twice drove 1,000-mile round-trips to Scotland to hide at Balmoral with the Queen last summer as US lawyers attempted to serve Ms Giuffre's writ.
Last month, Prince Charles ordered him to stop being photographed cheerily driving into Windsor Castle.
There have also been discussions about a long-term plan for Prince William and Kate to move into Royal Lodge — home to Andrew and ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who will in turn be sent to historic Fort Belvedere on the edge of the estate.
Grade II listed Fort Belvedere was built between 1750 and 1755 and is where Edward VIII’s relationship with divorcee Wallis Simpson blossomed and where he spent his final days as king before his abdication in 1936.
Sources have revealed how Andrew has been supported by nephew Prince Harry, 37, as he explores life as a non-royal — possibly even in the US.
One said: “Andrew has been in turmoil about the whole thing.
“And one thing he has done is reach out to Harry about life outside ‘The Firm’ and things like security and what he can do in the future.
“He has seen how Harry has managed to carve out a new life for himself away from the Royal Family.
“He has also said sorry to Beatrice and Eugenie and voiced his fears that their children would grow up hearing about the case.”
Beatrice, 33, has a five-month-old daughter, Sienna, with husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 38, while Eugenie, 31, and husband Jack Brooksbank, 35, have son August, aged one.
Majesty magazine editor Ingrid Seward said: “I have heard from a very good source that Andrew did think he could reinvent himself like Prince Harry has.”
Yesterday, a top US lawyer said the Duke of York could even get a “second chance” in the US, despite the FBI wanting to quiz him as a potential witness in the Epstein case.
LA attorney Lisa Bloom — who represents six Epstein victims — said: “People will tend to say, ‘Well, you know, he paid his settlement, it’s over, we’ll give him a second chance’. There’s that kind of an attitude in America.
“It’s certainly not a bad idea for him to go somewhere far away from the UK and try to do something different with his life.”
The announcement that disgraced Andrew had settled with accuser Virginia was made last Tuesday.
The worried Duke — stripped of his titles and cast out of the Royal Family by the Queen — caved in after 72 hours of negotiations with her US lawyer David Boies, who was set to quiz him under oath in a deposition on March 10.
His brother Prince Charles, 73, and nephew Prince William, 39, — both future kings — are said to have been keen for Andrew to settle the case.
Last night, it emerged Buckingham Palace staff have mocked Andrew with a twist on the classic Grand Old Duke of York nursery rhyme.
Aides were said to have shared new lyrics, saying: “The grand old Duke of York, he had 12million quid. He gave it to someone he’d never met, for something he never did.”
Sources also told the Sunday Times Andrew has “genuine regret he was ever involved with Epstein” — and they claimed the reported £12million settlement figure is “out by millions”.
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It was also reported Andrew will make a public appearance at a thanksgiving service for Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey on March 29.
After that, the Queen will decide whether he can attend future “family” events based on how much of a distraction he proves to be, including her jubilee service at St Paul’s Cathedral in June.
