nicholas witchell. leaving home in windsor this morning, seemingly as normal, prince andrew — bound for buckingham palace and further meetings to reshape the next phase of his life. arriving at the palace to offer her advice and support, his ex—wife, the duchess of york. andrew won't now perform public engagements for the foreseeable future, but it is suggested he may still appear at trooping the colour, the annual celebration of his mother's birthday, though whether he will do so in the uniform of colonel of the grenadier guards is less clear. similarly, it's suggested he'll still lay a wreath at the cenotaph on remembrance sunday. he is, after all, a former serving officer in the royal navy. what's much clearer now is that it's the core members of the royal family, those who appeared together on the palace balcony for the diamond jubilee, who represent the future. this episode has seen prince charles exercise his authority alongside the queen. they were the ones who decided that