Duke of York Placed ‘Front & Centre’ at Prince Philip's Service Reportedly ‘Dismayed’ Senior Royals
05:39 GMT 30.03.2022 (Updated: 15:24 GMT 28.05.2023)
© REUTERS / Richard Pohle/Pool
Subscribe
On Tuesday Queen Elizabeth II attended a memorial service for her late husband, Prince Philip, traveling to Westminster Abbey alongside embattled son Prince Andrew, for whom it was his first public outing after settling a US civil lawsuit with his sex abuse accuser, Virginia Roberts Giuffre.
As the British royal family gathered at Westminster Abbey on Tuesday to pay their respects to the Queen Elizabeth II’s late husband, Prince Philip, some of them were reportedly “dismayed” at how Prince Andrew had placed himself “front and centre” at the memorial service, reported the Daily Mail.
When the 95-year-old British monarch made her entrance, it was on the arm of her second son, who was making his first public appearance since he struck an out-of-court settlement with his sex assault accuser, Virginia Giuffre.
Furthermore, the congregation looked on as Prince Andrew escorted his mother to her front-row position, while it had reportedly been expected that this would be entrusted to the Dean of Westminster.
The Duke of York’s role at the event had caused “consternation” among senior royals, including Charles, Prince of Wales, the heir apparent to the British throne as the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II, and the Duke of Cambridge, a family source was cited as saying by the outlet.
Senior royals had purportedly “reluctantly” resigned themselves to the fact that the embattled Duke of York would accompany the Queen from Windsor Castle to the Service of Thanksgiving for Prince Philip’s life in London as they live close to each other.
However, the afore-mentioned royals had also hoped that “common sense” would stop the prince from trying to push himself into a more prominent role at the service, according to insiders.
Britain's Queen Elizabeth and Prince Andrew, Duke of York, arrive for the service of thanksgiving for late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey, in London, Britain, March 29, 2022
© REUTERS / TOM NICHOLSON
Pointing to the sullied reputation of Prince Andrew, they were quoted as saying:
“It would be a great shame if the service was overshadowed by all of this. There is a strong sense of regret that this has happened.”
Prince Andrew had been forced to step back from royal duties in November 2019 over his association with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He was also stripped of his military roles and royal patronages.
Last month, the Duke of York settled out of court on Virginia Giuffre’s civil claim that the late pedophile, Epstein, had trafficked her out to have sex with the royal on three separate occasions when she was a minor. Prince Andrew had always vehemently denied all allegations of sexual abuse and did not admit guilt in the settlement, purportedly worth over £12 million ($15,7), including a £2 million ($2,6) contribution to Virginia Giuffre’s sex trafficking charity.
The fact that Queen Elizabeth chose to walk into Westminster Abbey on Tuesday with Prince Andrew "shows she wholeheartedly loves and believes her son," according to royal commentator Robert Jobson, cited by told People. "She has faith in Andrew. Even if he disappears from public life, he's been able to pay tribute to his father."
According to Jobson, while there had been “disquiet” over the monarch’s decision, she reportedly "insisted."
A former BBC royal correspondent, Jennie Bond, was cited by the Express as saying this move by the Queen showed what a place Prince Andrew occupies in her heart.
“This was her way of quietly showing ‘OK, he messed up really badly, this was a disgrace, but he is my son’,” said Bond.
It was a sign of the Queen “endorsing” Prince Andrew, said Peter Hunt, another ex-royal correspondent for the outlet.
“It didn't happen by chance. He could have sat in the congregation with others, with his relatives, but they actively decided that he would have this role of supporting her. She's very clearly stating that he has a role at family occasions. It's one thing to accept that he should attend his father's memorial service, it's quite another thing to then give him quite a prominent role so it was an active choice to give him such a prominent role,” Hunt was quoted as saying.
Queen Elizabeth joined 1,800 guests at the memorial service at Westminster Abbey, including many representatives of the hundreds of charities that Prince Philip championed, including the Duke of Edinburgh Awards.
