Prince Andrew Appears Downcast While Horseback Riding On Royal Property

It's been a rough few years for Prince Andrew. The dad-of-two has been forced to step down from the royal family and have his titles stripped due to a sexual abuse lawsuit — which was eventually settled out of court — and just last month, he lost his beloved mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

The disgraced royal is trying to carry on amid all the turmoil, but he appeared glum even while horseback riding around Windsor's Royal Lodge on Saturday, October 23.

As OK! previously reported, a pal anonymously spilled that Andrew had become a "virtual recluse" ever since his friendship with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was exposed.

"These days, he barely goes out at all. He rarely goes out socially in the evening — where would he go?" the friend said. "The only times he used to go out were to visit the queen at the castle and now he can’t even do that."

Nonetheless, the pal claimed Andrew is still allowed to use the monarchy's money since Queen Elizabeth "remained convinced of Andrew’s innocence to the very end so she would have looked after him." He also has access to some royal perks such as a chef and full staff.

'BULLY' PRINCE ANDREW 'HAD A REVOLVING DOOR' OF WOMEN IN HIS BEDROOM, ROYAL PROTECTION OFFICER CLAIMS

On the bright side, his fall from grace has actually helped him improve his ways, with the confidante insisting he's now "more thoughtful and more mindful than he has ever been."

If keeps it up, there's a chance his brother King Charles could even bring him back into the inner circle.

"Acting as that supportive brother figure, absolutely in the background but for the benefit of the monarchy as a whole, is a future template for how he feels he can make some sort of contribution," shared a separate source. "Rather than being a distraction, he wants to become a stabilizing influence and sounding board within the family on a very private basis."

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