Prince Andrew is seen riding his horse at Windsor - after King Charles revealed plans to cancel royal events that could 'distract' from the general election

Prince Andrew was spotted on a horse ride around the Windsor Castle estate, a day after his elder brother, King Charles III, announced he will postpone engagements 'which may appear to divert attention or distract from the election campaign'.

The Duke of York, 64, looked contemplative as he rode around the Berkshire estate on his usual Saturday morning ride. 

Andrew was dressed in a blue shirt, black trousers and a black and white striped helmet for the excursion.

His riding companion smiled as the pair enjoyed a slow-paced ride through the leafy grounds.

Andrew was spotted earlier driving in his dark-coloured Range Rover to the castle.

Andrew was dressed in a blue shirt, black trousers and a black and white striped helmet for his ride around the Windsor Castle estate

Prince Andrew drives his car along the Long Walk in the Windsor Castle estate earlier on Saturday

The royal family postponed several engagements after Rishi Sunak called a surprise summer General Election on Wednesday. 

Buckingham Palace said the King and Queen sent their 'sincere apologies' to those affected, after Charles agreed to the Prime Minister's request to dissolve Parliament for an election - for the first time in his reign.

The King and Queen's D-Day 80th anniversary appearances in Portsmouth and Normandy in June are expected to go ahead as scheduled, but the announcement of a July 4 vote disrupted other events in the carefully planned forthcoming royal diaries.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: 'Following the Prime Minister's statement this afternoon calling a General Election, the royal family will, in accordance with normal procedure, postpone engagements that may appear to divert attention or distract from the election campaign.

'Their Majesties send their sincere apologies to any of those who may be affected as a result.'

Charles's public engagements for the rest of this week are now off, while doubts have emerged over the Emperor and Empress of Japan's state visit due in late June.

King Charles during a reception for the Prince's Trust Award 2024 at Buckingham Palace in London on Wednesday

The Foreign Office is expected to make a final decision on the trip, four years after it was also axed in 2020 due to the pandemic when Queen Elizabeth II was still on the throne.

Key elements of a state visit include a ceremonial welcome by the armed forces and a grand banquet for guests including senior royals, politicians and dignitaries. 

The sovereign does not vote and is a constitutional monarch who must remain politically neutral. 

The King was also due to make a not-yet publicly announced event in London on Friday, then visit Crewe today to tour a Bentley factory and a community centre which supports people struggling financially – but these engagements were scrapped.

It is understood the move was not a blanket approach to future events, and engagements will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

The unusual July election date means the King's official birthday - Trooping the Colour on June 15 - falls in the run-up to the vote, but it is not yet clear whether the celebrations and famous balcony appearance will take place.

The date is also traditionally used to release the King's Birthday Honours, co-ordinated by the Cabinet Office.

Speaking yesterday, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told MailOnline: 'It is a pivotal part of our unwritten constitution that the Royal Family are never involved in party politics.

'When King Charles was Prince of Wales there were fears, which have since proved unfounded, that he might become or attempt to become an activist King.

'The statement put out by Buckingham Palace after the Prime Minister called a General Election, states that the royal family has 'postponed engagements which may appear to divert attention or distract from the election campaign'.

'The wording seems ambiguous and what 'diverts' and 'distracts' individuals is surely subjective. The magnificent spectacle of Trooping the Colour followed by the iconic balcony appearance is surely intended to do both, with the Mall packed with enthusiastic onlookers. What purpose would it serve if it were axed?'

King Charles III hosted the winners of The Prince's Trust awards at Buckingham Palace in London and met Declan Donnelly on Wednesday

King Charles III also visited the Chelsea Flower Show in London earlier this week

Mr Fitzwilliams continued: 'Clearly the 80th anniversary of D-Day commemoration events are above politics and must go ahead.

'Royal engagements, which by their nature favour an industry, a charity or a particular part of the country would probably need to be cancelled during the campaign.'

Charles could be set for his third prime minister. His first was Liz Truss - but her stint in charge was the shortest in British history - and the King welcomed Mr Sunak as his second PM just six weeks after acceding to the throne.

Mr Sunak revealed he spoke with King earlier on Wednesday to inform him of his decision and the King had agreed to the request for the dissolution of Parliament.

The Palace said Charles met Mr Sunak in person at the royal residence in London on Wednesday afternoon, following Charles' Prince's Trust Awards engagement.

They spent around 15 minutes together in the King's private audience room, in place of their normal weekly meeting on Wednesday evening.

The King, who is still undergoing treatment for cancer, has carried out a flurry of engagements since restarting public appearances in April and now has a number of duties ahead of him after the Prime Minister announced his plan for the country to go to the polls.

Speaking at Downing Street, Mr Sunak said: 'Earlier today I spoke with His Majesty the King to request the dissolution of Parliament.

'The King has granted this request and we will have a General Election on July 4.'

The King was hosting the winners of The Prince's Trust awards at the Palace in the afternoon, where TV star Declan Donnelly joked that his celebrity partner Anthony McPartlin was missing from the reception because he was breastfeeding his newborn baby.

The engagement went ahead as planned, without any changes to timings, finishing at around 3.15pm.

Under the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022, which repealed the Fixed Terms Parliament Act 2011, the PM can seek the monarch's permission to dissolve parliament and call a general election at a time of his choosing.

The date of the dissolution is set by a royal proclamation issued by the King, on the advice of his prime minister, and timed to allow for the polling day to occur on Mr Sunak's chosen date.

The 2022 Act restored the practice whereby the monarch dissolves parliament at the request of the PM, without the need for a parliamentary vote on plans for an election.

There is no fixed number of days that have to take place between the announcement of an election and dissolution.

It is typically a few days later to allow the Commons and Lords to finish any urgent business.

In previous times prior to 2011, the late Queen's agreement to dissolve parliament meant she had to hold a meeting of the Privy Council to approve a royal proclamation which was signed and affixed with the Great Seal of the Realm. 

King Charles III meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at Buckingham Palace in London on February 21. It was their first in-person audience since the monarch's diagnosis with cancer

King Charles III during his first audience with Prime Minister Liz Truss at Buckingham Palace on September 9, 2022

The date of the dissolution of parliament is laid down in statute, as 25 working days, not counting weekends or any bank holidays that fall within this period, before the proposed polling day. 

For a July 4 election, this is May 30. Dissolution is the official term for the end of a parliament.

The day after the General Election, it will be the King's duty to invite the leader of the party that won the most seats in the House of Commons to become prime minister and to form a government - one of the few remaining personal prerogatives of the sovereign.

It was one of the Queen's last duties, just two days before she died, when she appointed Liz Truss as prime minister, at Balmoral Castle.

It was the first time the Queen, who had mobility issues, carried out the key duty at her Scottish retreat rather than at Buckingham Palace.