Queen Elizabeth offers sympathy for coronavirus victims via disgraced son
- Prince Andrew conveys message to Chinese ambassador to Britain at Lunar New Year dinner party on Friday
- Meeting was one of first major appearances by the prince since he stepped down from public duties in November due to sex scandal
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth has conveyed a message to the Chinese government expressing sympathy for those affected by the deadly coronavirus outbreak – via her disgraced son Prince Andrew.
Andrew, the Duke of York, carried the message when he attended a dinner hosted by the Chinese ambassador to Britain, Liu Xiaoming, on Friday.
The meeting, as shown in photographs posted to Liu’s Twitter account, marks one of the first major appearances of the prince since he stepped down from public duties in November over a sex scandal involving an underage girl in the United States.
“Her Majesty The Queen sent an encouraging message to President Xi [Jinping] and Chinese people: At the critical time of fighting #coronavirus, I express my sincere sympathy for Chinese people, and pray for the speedy control and victory over the virus. It was conveyed by Duke of York,” Liu said.
In a separate tweet, Liu said: “My wife and I invited Duke of York and his family to our residence and celebrated Lunar New Year. Their enthusiasm for China and contribution to China-UK relation is highly appreciated.”