Prince Andrew celebrated his 60th birthday on Wednesday, but a seemingly innocent birthday message posted to the Royal Family’s official Instagram page has caused pandemonium in the comment section.
Posted on February 19, the Royal Family shared an image of the prince when he was a baby, accompanied by a recent portrait.
“On this day in 1960, Prince Andrew was born at Buckingham Palace, the first child born to a reigning monarch for 103 years.”
Adding, “Happy Birthday to The Duke of York.”
While the post seems innocent enough, in light of Andrew’s connection to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the resurfaced allegations he had sex with a minor, some fans have criticised the post for being “tone deaf”.
“Hmmmm. I am not sure this message is appropriate considering what he has been a part of,” one follower commented.
“All things considered, this post is a little tone deaf,” another added.
While a third remarked: “As a birthday gift, go speak to the FBI” – the prince has most recently been accused of providing “zero co-operation” with the ongoing investigation into the Epstein scandal, despite vowing he would “help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations”.
Meanwhile, other followers came out in defence of the Royal Family saying Andrew was still the Queen’s son and she should be able to wish him a happy birthday.
One person commented that either way, the family wouldn’t be able to please everyone: “Everything they do gets scrutinised… So she [the Queen] would criticised if she didn’t say anything either and can’t really win either way.”
A birthday message wishing Prince Andrew a happy birthday from the royal family has been met with backlash. (Image: Getty)
The allegations against the father-of-two resurfaced last year when disgraced financer and child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein awaited trial for sex trafficking charges. According to Andrew’s accuser Virginia Roberts, she had been trafficked by Epstein and was introduced to Andrew in 2001 by Epstein’s girlfriend at the time, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Prince Andrew has always vehemently denied the claims, however, in November last year he agreed to an interview with the BBC in an attempt to quash public scrutiny. Unfortunately for him, the interview back-fired spectacularly and was labelled a “train wreck”.
Days later, Prince Andrew announced he was stepping back from his role as a working member of the royal family for the foreseeable future.
Since then, the prince’s royal status has remained incredibly murky, and he has, for the most part, remained out of the spotlight – but the scandal has by no means been forgotten by the public, and his birthday post makes that more evident than ever.
WATCH: Prince Andrew denies allegations made by Virginia Roberts. Story continues below…
Earlier this month the matter of the prince’s birthday became an issue for the UK government when critics warned it would be inappropriate to fly the Union Jack on government buildings on his birthday, as is usually the way for certain members of the royal family.
In response, the government announced they would not fly the flag for the prince’s birthday, saying it was due to him no longer being a working royal, and advised local councils that it was at their discretion whether they chose to fly the flag on their town halls.
While Prince Andrew’s birthday may not have been the big fan-fare he might’ve hoped for his 60th, he at least as his daughter Princess Beatrice’s wedding to look forward to later this year, who he is set to walk down the aisle.
The 31-year-old will marry her fiancé Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in an intimate ceremony at St James’s Palace’s Chapel Royal on May 29, followed by a private reception in the grounds of Buckingham Palace.
