Prince Andrew defers military promotion to mark his 60th birthday

PRINCE ANDEW has asked to defer his military promotion to Admiral after stepping down from public duties in the wake of his relationship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Andrew was due to be promoted to the coveted positon to mark his 60th birthday later this month, which acts in line with a longstanding tradition that sees senior royals treated as serving members of the military.

However, Buckingham Palace has stated that the Duke of York has requested to forego the planned promotion until he is able to fully resume royal duties. In a statement relased today they said:

“By convention, the Duke of York would be in line for military promotion on his 60th birthday.

“Following the decision by His Royal Highness to step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, the Duke of York has asked the Ministry of Defence if this promotion might be deferred until such time that His Royal Highness returns to public duty.”

Prince Andrew’s birthday will still be marked by the traditional ringing of bells at Westminster Abbey where a spokesperson said:

“Westminster Abbey is a Royal Peculiar and the bells are rung for the birthdays of HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh; their children; and TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children. 

“There are no plans to change these arrangements.”