Prince Andrew Returned to His Royal Duties

In the wake of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, Prince Andrew was removed from his royal patronages and stepped down from public life. However, according to People, Andrew was back in the spotlight with a visit to Liu Xiaoming, China’s ambassador to the U.K.

While the event was officially a private function, Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, along with his eldest daughter, Princess Beatrice, and her fiancé, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, all attended. Liu posted a tweet that gave additional details, saying that Andrew and his family were offering sympathy to the Chinese people during the coronavirus outbreak.

"Her Majesty The Queen sent an encouraging message to President Xi and Chinese people: At the critical time of fighting #coronavirus, I express my sincere sympathy for Chinese people, and pray for the speedy control and victory over the virus," he wrote, adding pictures of him meeting Andrew and his family. "My wife and I invited Duke of York and his family to our residence and celebrated Chinese New Year."

RELATED: Prince Andrew Ousted From Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace has yet to make an official statement on the visit and People adds that this would be the most high-profile event that he's attended since his interview with BBC Newsnight host Emily Maitlis. After the interview aired, Andrew stated that he was "willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations if required." However, reports to the contrary have surfaced, with sources stating that Andrew has not been cooperating with the investigation.