Prince Andrew delivers 'message of sympathy from the Queen' to China over coronavirus

‘So much for him stepping back from royal duties,’ writes Twitter user

 

Olivia Petter
Sunday 09 February 2020 15:13 GMT
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Prince Andrew has delivered a message of sympathy to the people of China amid the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak.

Despite retiring from public duties in November amid criticisms over his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the Duke of York attended a dinner hosted by Liu Xiaoming, China’s ambassador to the UK.

On Saturday, Xiaoming tweeted about the meeting alongside two photographs of himself with Prince Andrew and their fellow dinner guests, which included the Duke’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, and their eldest daughter Princess Beatrice.

The diplomat wrote: “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. It was conveyed by Duke of York.

“My wife and I invited Duke of York and his family to our residence and celebrated Chinese New Year,” he added.

“Their enthusiasm for China and contribution to China-UK relation is highly appreciated.”

Many people on social media questioned why Prince Andrew had been socialising with diplomats when he was supposed to have stepped back from royal duties for the foreseeable future.

“So much for him stepping back from royal duties,” tweeted one person.

Another asked why Prince Andrew was “being treated as a normal royal”.

Buckingham Palace said that since Prince Andrew had stepped back from royal duties, his visit to the Chinese ambassador was conducted in a private capacity.

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