Prince Andrew drove himself to Buckingham Palace on Friday for day one as a Royal without any royal duties.
The cameras were waiting - a sign that the pressure he's facing to speak to US investigators about Jeffrey Epstein is not going away.
It seems Prince Charles was the driving force behind the Duke of York's decision to stand aside. UK press is reporting he was the one convinced the Queen it had to happen.
In a statement on Thursday the Duke of York admitted his association with a convicted sex offender was a "major disruption" to the work of the royal family and he would step down "for the foreseeable future".
Jeffrey Epstein died in prison in August 2019. He was arrested for sex trafficking minors and faced accusations of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls.
He would have served up to 45 years in prison if convicted, but died before he reached trial.
US lawyer Gloria Alred held another news conference with yet another Epstein victim on Friday and urged Prince Andrew to volunteer his help to US investigators.
"There's no need to wait for a gold engraved invitation. It should be done without delay," she said.
At Buckingham Palace courtiers are scrambling to answer questions they've not had to think about before - like what to do with the Duke's staff?
On Friday he stepped aside as the Chancellor of the University of Huddersfield - where students had called for his resignation by putting up posters with the hashtag not my chancellor.
The Outward Bound Trust also accepted his resignation as its Patron.
But he will remain involved in his Pitch at Palace scheme in a "private capacity" -although its sponsors are still threatening to walk away if the scandal continues to cast a shadow over the organisation.
It's certainly overshadowing the work of other members of the royal family as they go about their royal duties
