Prince Andrew 'campaigning the Queen' for new role in royal family after Epstein scandal

Prince Andrew has reportedly been asking his mother for help in finding a new role within the royal family after he stepped back from public life over his links with Jeffrey Epstein.

The Duke of York can't "spend the rest of his days ­sitting around", friends say, and is trying to work out his next step.

Prince Andrew, 62, retired from official duties in November 2019 after giving an interview to the BBC about his ties to the convicted sex offender and the allegations against him, made by Virginia Roberts Giuffre.

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He has continuously denied any wrongdoing and in February paid Giuffre $20 million, bringing an end to the long-running civil case.

The Queen's second son was stripped of most military and honourary titles in January when Buckingham Palace said he would defend the case as a private citizen.

Andrew has been largely absent from most events, apart from a family memorial service at Westminster Abbey in March where he helped walk the Queen to her seat to the surprise of many, including his family.

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He recently spent three days at Balmoral Castle in Scotland where he once again campaigned the Queen to find him a position, The Sun reports.

"He is a 62-year-old man and knows that he can't spend the rest of his days ­sitting around at Royal Lodge in Windsor, walking his dogs and ­riding horses," a friend told the publication.

"He's thinking about what he can do. He has had discussions with the Queen about what he can do with his life."

In June, the duke had reportedly asked his mother for his titles to be reinstated which was swiftly rejected after an intervention from Prince Charles and Prince William.

Andrew's brother and nephew reportedly blocked him from doing so to avoid a public "backlash".

Meanwhile, a source says Andrew is keen to find a suitable position within the monarchy now that the civil case with Giuffre has ended.

"He knows he let his mother down badly but he hasn't been convicted of a crime. He wants to try to establish a route back," the source said.

They added the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge "see no way back for him".