Prince Andrew will be sidelined from father Prince Philip's birthday over the Jeffrey Epstein scandal for the "survival of the monarchy," his biographer has said.
The Duke of York's "name is poison" and he therefore cannot play any major role in the celebrations when Philip turns 100 next year, according to Nigel Cawthorne, author of Prince Andrew, Epstein and the Palace.
However, the author said the decision to exclude Andrew would cause the Duke of Edinburgh "great displeasure."
His words come after reports in The Sun this weekend that the Royal Collection Trust has been told to "play down Andrew" in an exhibition of Philip's life.
He said: "The decision to cut down Prince Andrew's role in the planned celebrations for his 100th birthday is one of the toughest decisions Prince Philip will have had to make in his life.
"He is extremely fond and very proud of his son and he will have given in to the media pressure with great displeasure.
"But he knows that Andrew's name is poison currently and that the survival of the monarchy requires that Buckingham Palace backs away from his son.
"It will have been an enormous blow and will undoubtedly take some of the shine off the celebrations when they happen next year for Philip not to have Andrew by his side.
"It is a poignant moment and the loss of Prince Andrew's HRH title is highly likely merely a matter of time now."
Prince Andrew is accused of having sex with Virginia Giuffre when she was a 17-year-old trafficking victim in London, New York and on Jeffrey Epstein's private island.
She says they met at Tramp night club in London where they danced and she remembers him sweating profusely.
A photograph of the prince with his arm around her waist was taken at the London townhouse of Ghislaine Maxwell, Andrew's longstanding close friend.
However, Ingrid Seward, author of Prince Philip Revealed, said: "Do we really think they are organizing Prince Philip's birthday celebrations now?
"He doesn't value his birthday anyway. He hates fuss and will hate the idea of celebrating his birthday.
"This is an exhibition that the Royal Collection Trust are putting on."
Maxwell is currently in jail facing charges of grooming three girls for Epstein to abuse from 1994 to 1997.
Andrew has always denied the allegations against him and his lawyers say the FBI is treating him as a witness rather than a suspect.
Over the summer, he was locked in a vocal stand-off with former U.S. attorney for the southern district of New York Geoffrey Berman.
Audrey Strauss, Berman's successor, also says she wants the prince's testimony.
The duke's lawyers say he has offered a statement, though the D.O.J. appears to want him to answer questions.
Andrew was forced to step back from public life in Britain after a BBC TV interview last year in which he would not say he regretted his friendship with Epstein.
A spokesperson for the Royal Collection Trust said: "Plans for next year's opening of the state rooms at Buckingham Palace are not yet confirmed."
