Princess Anne makes difficult decision about Prince Andrew: 'Setback'

Prince Andrew, who finally attended the royal family at Easter Sunday's walk, has been hit with fresh setback amid ongoing scandals.

The Duke of York received a blow from his beloved person last week after being excluded from a Windsor Castle dinner honouring his former school.

Sarah Ferguson's ex-husband was not invited to the gathering at Windsor Castle last Thursday, which celebrated Gordonstoun school where he was once a pupil.

Despite living just miles away on the royal estate he was kept out of the dinner, which was hosted by his sister Princess Anne in her role as Warden for the prestigious Scottish institution.

Andrew, who attended the institution alongside his brothers King Charles and Prince Edward, not present at the exclusive gathering, a royal source told the Mail.

"I'm sure the duke would have loved to have attended the dinner if he had been invited," a friend of Andrew's told the publication.

"In her role as Warden for Gordonstoun, Her Royal Highness held an intimate evening dinner attended by a small number of guests," a Gordonstoun spokesperson said.

While Princess Anne did not attend the £61,440-a-year school near Elgin in Moray herself, as it only became co-educational in 1972, she maintains close ties to the institution.

The snub was likely particularly painful given Andrew's long history with the school, having followed in the footsteps of his brothers as a Gordonstoun pupil.

The school has educated two generations of British royalty and counts musician David Bowie's son Duncan Jones and Sean Connery's son Jason among its alumni.

The dinner comes as Gordonstoun, like other private schools, faces new financial pressures after the government ended the VAT exemption for private schools at the start of this month.