THIS is the year the Queen – and country – should be focusing on her Platinum Jubilee.
But instead of celebrating the incredible milestone of becoming the first British monarch to mark 70 years on the throne, she is facing another annus horribilis.
Her Majesty has already started 2022 by making a choice that no mother would want to face.
Prince Andrew has always been her favourite.
He was once the swashbuckling Navy hero who would entertain her with bawdy tales of adventure on the high seas.
But today he is an excruciating embarrassment. A podgy, pointless and prickly prince.
The allegations against the Duke of York could not have come at a worse time as we navigate an ocean of woke views, still rocking in the wake of the Me Too movement.
Prince Andrew’s friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and child trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, along with claims that he slept with 17-year-old Virginia Roberts — now known by her married name Giuffre — could prove a fatal anchor that drags the monarchy into the cold depths.
And that is why the Queen has had to cut him loose.
As head of the Royal Family, she has been forced to choose between saving the institution she has sworn to protect or shielding her second-born son
In reality, there was no choice to make and, as we all know, the Queen always puts duty first.
Stark message
But how much it must have hurt to give her beloved Andrew the boot.
No wonder she made his lawyer wait outside in the car when she delivered the icy blow to his heart.
It must have been one of the hardest decisions she has ever made, stripping her beloved son of his royal status and making him walk the plank to fight this battle alone.
Although this must have gone against every instinct she has as a mother, she has done what she always does — put the country and the monarchy ahead of everything, even her own family.
Until now the royals have protected Andrew and seemingly turned a blind eye to his friendship with Epstein and the allegations made about him by Giuffre.
But the announcement that Andrew will no longer be known as His Royal Highness sends a stark message.
Slice of pepperoni
Although he remains Duke of York, he loses all the military titles and royal patronages, the things that gave him status and a role.
Andrew is disgraced. And he is on his own now, forced to face the looming civil court case as a private citizen.
In all of this, it is the Queen I feel desperately sorry for.
This remarkable lady has dedicated her life to service for the country and now, in her Jubilee year, her son is mired in sleaze, his reputation in tatters.
Watch Andrew’s car-crash Newsnight interview and you can see why he does not fancy squaring up to a hard-nosed New York judge.
Can you imagine how his Pizza Express in Woking alibi would go down in a US civil court?
Andrew’s story would be torn apart like a thin slice of pepperoni.
So his only option seems to be paying off Giuffre. Which will be seen as an admission of guilt because why would anyone hand a reported £10million to someone they insist they have never met?
Whatever the outcome, Andrew will never again be able to be an active member of the Royal Family.
The Duke of York is done for.
Perhaps the bigger question is, what toll will this latest scandal take on the Queen?
She has already lost her husband Prince Philip.
Her grandson Prince Harry is another outcast, who has fled to California.
And the tell-all book he plans to release later this year will be another devastating shot across the bow.
The Queen has been an impeccable monarch throughout her life — but how much more can she really bear?
Sawalha-ha, a lovely double!
WHEN you’ve got it, flaunt it.
The words come from the 1967 movie The Producers, written by Mel Brooks.
It’s evidently a life motto for Kendall Jenner, who is clearly proud of her body after wearing this teeny, tiny dress to a friend’s wedding.
It cost £1,266 – I don’t know how, as there is more material in a G-string – and she explained she got permission from the bride to wear it.
After pictures were posted online this week Kendall, 26, was criticised for being “inappropriate”.
Loose Women’s Nadia Sawalha, 57, used a few pieces of black tape to recreate the look, leaving very little to the imagination.
She clearly did it for a laugh but I have to say, I thought she looked rather good.
To quote Mel Brooks again: “If you’re quiet, you’re not living. You’ve got to be noisy and colourful and lively.”
Nadia is certainly all these things. And by the way, she has much better boobs than Kendall.
