Prince Charles making sure Prince Andrew stays out of the public eye

Prince Charles dealt his disgraced brother another blow this week, taking over Prince Andrew's prestigious role as patron of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

It was announced on Tuesday that "The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is delighted to announce that The Prince of Wales has accepted an invitation to become the Orchestra's Patron", making no mention of Andrew, the New York Post reported.

"The Prince of Wales has a lifelong association with the Arts. During the pandemic His Royal Highness spoke about the importance of protecting the Arts, stressing their enormous importance to life in the UK and to the economy."

It's the second patronage that Charles, 72, has taken over from his brother the Duke of York, 61, who has effectively been benched by the royals over his connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Late last year, Charles took over the York Minster Cathedral patronage. There was no official announcement but the change was quietly noted on the royal family website.

Patronages are a huge part of a royal's job, supporting arts groups, charities and military associations. Royal patronage means publicity, and it's seen as a valuable endorsement.

But Andrew has been in disgrace for some time over his connection to Epstein and his girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, who allegedly procured underage girls for him.

Virginia Giuffre alleges that Epstein and Maxwell forced her to have sex with Prince Andrew when she was just 17, which he has repeatedly denied.

Charles has taken over a prestigious patronage from his brother Andrew. Photo / Getty Images

Andrew's disastrous Newsnight interview in November 2019 where he described Epstein as acting in "a manner unbecoming", prompting presenter Emily Maitlis to reply, "Unbecoming? He was a sex offender."

But Andrew said he did not regret his friendship with the financier. He also failed to express sympathy for Epstein's victims. He apologised for this days later, promising to help "any appropriate law agency with their investigations" - but has not yet co-operated with any law enforcement agencies.

He later announced that he was stepping down from public duties "for the foreseeable future".

Andrew remained out of the spotlight until his father, the Duke of Edinburgh, died. After the funeral, the Duke of York spoke to camera crews about his father, saying "We've lost the grandfather of the nation."