Prince Andrew has been spotted riding in Windsor after being warned he would be a distraction if he attended the VE Day celebrations. The Duke of York would no doubt have wished to attend, being a Falklands War veteran himself, but instead had to make do with a quiet ride alongside a friend.

The Duke, who served in the Royal Navy for 22 years, was famously stripped of his military affiliations in 2022 by the late Queen Elizabeth II in January 2022. At the time he was the Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Irish Regiment and Royal Colonel of the Royal Highland Fusiliers, among many other key appointments.

His appearance in Windsor comes as King Charles, Queen Camilla and other senior members of the Royal Family are in London to carry out a number of engagements on the first of four days of celebrations.

The Duke's most senior role as Colonel of the Grenadier Guards was taken over by Queen Camilla at the end of 2022. He had previously taken over the colonelcy from his father Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in 2017.

A source told The Sun: "There have been many nails in the Duke of York's coffin and any deeply-desired wish to return to public duty but this is, without doubt, the final of final nails."

Prince Andrew's last public appearance came last month when he joined the King, Queen and other members of the Royal Family for the traditional Easter Sunday Matins service at St George's Chapel, Windsor.

This week, the Royal Family will be out in full all week as they lead the nation in commemorating the milestone 80th anniversary of VE Day with a series of scheduled engagements.

Key engagements include today's iconic balcony appearance and a special tea party in the grounds of Buckingham Palace. On Thursday, the royals will attend a special service at Westminster Abbey, followed by a star-studded concert at Horse Guards Parade.

This year's 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe marks the first major VE Day commemorations to be held in the absence of Queen Elizabeth II.

The late Queen had a personal link to the historic celebrations - as a young princess, she secretly joined thousands of revellers as they jubilantly gathered outside Buckingham Palace on the night of May 8 1945.