Beaming Prince Andrew is seen horse riding with a companion at Windsor Castle amid Omid Scobie race row

Prince Andrew shielded himself from the cold temperatures as he rode his horse through the grounds of Windsor Castle this morning.

The Duke of York, 63, couldn't help but smile as he chuckled to a companion today as he climbed into the saddle.

Andrew wore a navy blue jacket with the royal code of the Grenadier Guards, ddespite being stripped of his honorary military roles by his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 2022.

The father-of-two is often spotted enjoying horse activities – and a Range Rover ride – around the extravagant Berkshire estate.

He continues to live at Royal Lodge after reportedly receiving permission from King Charles to 'stay indefinitely' after they 'made a new deal'.

The outing comes at a turbulent time for the royal family following the Dutch translation of Omid Scobie's new book, which names two members of the royal family who are said to have expressed 'concerns' about the color of Prince Archie's skin.

Mr Scobie, 42, took the extraordinary step of swearing on live TV last night on his own life and that of his family that the appointment of two royals in the Dutch version of Endgame is not a 'stunt' to sell more copies of shifting his book. .

He said he was “hurt” by the suggestion and dismissed it as a conspiracy theory by people who want to believe he is “in cahoots” with Meghan, stating: “It couldn't be further from the truth.”

The author also refused to apologize for the racism scandal that has broken out, claiming: 'I'm just as frustrated as everyone else. The book I wrote, the book I edited, the book I signed, there were no names in it.'

But questions remain over whether he entered the names, as one of the Dutch translators told MailOnline yesterday: 'The names of the royal family were there in black and white. I didn't add them'.

Speaking to Victoria Derbyshire on BBC Two's Newsnight, Mr Scobie was asked to point out that the farrago over the Dutch translation was not a PR stunt. He raised his hands, shook his head and replied, “About my life, about the life of my family.” Mrs Derbyshire said: 'You don't have to go that far, it's fine.'

Scobie then said, “No, it's serious because I feel hurt by some of the things I've seen that suggest a conspiracy theory, that this is some kind of publicity stunt, and “I'm in cahoots with my friend.” [Meghan]'and that kind of nonsense, because it contributes to something that couldn't be further from the truth'.

Victoria then said: 'In some version you must have written the names and the wrong version may have gone to the people in charge of rights around the world, I assume.' Mr. Scobie did not respond.

It came as media organizations around the world, including ITV, The Guardian and The Times, referred to the two royals accused of asking about Archie's skin color as King Charles and his daughter-in-law Kate.

Speaking on Good Morning Britain today, Ben Shephard said: 'The Princess of Wales made no comment during the Royal Variety appearance in London last night and it was business as usual for the King at the climate conference in Dubai after they were mentioned in the Dutch version of a new book about the royals who wondered what skin color Prince Archie would have.'

The Duke of York, 63, chuckled to a companion as he climbed into the saddle this morning

The Dutch edition of Scobie's book names the two royals whom Meghan is said to have accused of being 'concerned' about 'how shady' Prince Archie might be, which was followed up last night by Piers Morgan identifying them live on television.

Sources close to the Duchess of Sussex, who reportedly mentioned the couple in a letter to Charles, have insisted that the Telegraph that they were 'never intended to be publicly identified' and that it was 'not leaked to Mr Scobie by anyone in her camp'.

Members of the Royal Family have been getting down to business as usual, with King Charles in Dubai for Cop28 and Prince William and Kate dazzling at the Royal Variety Performance in London last night.

Palace sources told The Mirror that the 'entire royal family is united in outrage' after members of the family were 'wrongly referred to in this way'.

The Dutch edition of Mr Scobie's book named the two royals Meghan (pictured with Harry in September 2021) who were reportedly accused of being 'concerned' about 'how dark' Prince Archie would be, which last night was followed by Piers Morgan who identified them live. television

Mr Scobie (pictured), 42, took the extraordinary step of swearing on live TV last night on his own life and that of his family that the appointment of two royals in the Dutch version of Endgame is not a 'stunt' to sell more copies shifting his book

They added: 'There is an absolute and unequivocal denial that anything said by the two publicly named individuals was said in a racist manner, or could even be perceived as such.'

The row was described as “an outrageous smear” that started with the Oprah interview but has now “blown into another stratosphere.”

Mentioning the names led to 5,000 copies of the book – called 'Final Battle' in the Netherlands – being withdrawn from sale and pulverized on the bookshelves.

Bookstores were ordered to remove the paperback from their shelves and return it to the publisher. The book will go on sale again next week.