Prince Edward has been seen in public for the first time since the arrest of his older brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. The late Queen Elizabeth's youngest son - and King Charles' youngest brother - attended a production at the National Youth Theatre in London on Wednesday evening.
The Prince, 61, who has been patron of the organisation since 1987, watched the press night performance of 'Dracula'. He was pictured, wearing a dark suit with a black turtle neck, smiling as he posed with film producer John Gore and singer Sarah Townsend.
It is less well-known that the Prince has long had a passion for theatre and during his time studying at the University of Cambridge, he took part in many stage productions. Further still, he was briefly employed as a production assistant by Andrew Lloyd Webber and also set up his own theatrical production company before becoming a full-time working royal.
The Duke of Edinburgh's evening out comes after he suddenly withdrew from attending an important royal event at St James's Palace on Tuesday. He was due to appear alongside the monarch, Queen Camilla, Princess Anne and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester to present awards for the Queen Elizabeth Prizes for Higher and Further Education.
© Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty IHowever, HELLO! understands that the Prince had been struck down with a cold and was forced to factor in recovery time between engagements. Indeed, his last official outing was the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy earlier this month, where he had a front-row seat to events including snowboarding.
Business as usual
Tuesday's engagement, which Prince Edward missed, was the largest gathering of royals since news of Andrew's arrest broke on 19 February. It has been confirmed that the family found out at the same time as the general public that he was under investigation in relation to the Epstein files.
© Getty ImagesThe disgraced royal was taken away by police from his home on the Sandringham estate on his 66th birthday. Andrew spent 11 hours in custody while being questioned on suspicion of misconduct in public office while a special representative for trade and investment between 2001 and 2011.
Meanwhile, Prince Edward's wife Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, has been on a two-day official trip to Somalia to mark International Women's Day. She visited the capital of Mogadishu, where she highlighted work to ensure accountability for sexual and gender-based violence in conflict.
