Prince Andrew escorting the Queen at Prince Philip's memorial service was the monarch's decision — and reports say she went against Prince William and Charles to do it
Prince William and Prince Charles were "dismayed" to see Prince Andrew accompany the Queen to the service, a source told the Daily Mail.
BBC
- The Queen was escorted by Prince Andrew at Prince Philip's memorial on Tuesday.
- The Mirror reports that it was the Queen's decision, despite reservations from William and Charles.
- It was Andrew's first public appearance since settling a sexual-assault lawsuit.
Queen Elizabeth II was escorted by Prince Andrew to Prince Philip's televised memorial service on Tuesday, marking his first public appearance since settling a sexual-assault lawsuit.
They were photographed traveling by car together to Westminster Abbey and were the final royals to arrive. All eyes appeared to be on the monarch as she held on to Andrew's arm on the walk to her seat in the front row. Andrew later took a seat on a different aisle from where the Queen, Prince Charles, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Princess Anne were sitting.
The decision to have Prince Andrew escort her was seen as controversial by the British tabloids, as shown by images of the front pages of newspapers posted to Twitter on Wednesday by royal author Omid Scobie.
—Omid Scobie (@scobie) March 29, 2022
A source told The Mirror's royal editor, Russell Myers, that it was the Queen's "wish and final decision" to have Andrew escort her, despite concerns from Prince Charles and Prince William.
The Mirror reports that William and Charles raised concerns "on more than one occasion" over Andrew accompanying the Queen to the service.
Meanwhile, a family source told the Daily Mail's royal editor, Rebecca English, that senior royals, including William and Charles, were "dismayed" by Andrew's decision to put himself "front and center" of the service.
Robert Jobson, a royal editor at the Evening Standard, wrote on Twitter on Wednesday that it was the Queen's decision "for her own reasons" and she wasn't bullied into it by Andrew.
"She asked him to accompany her and if the Queen asks you to do something, it is not a request. The vitriol against Her Majesty is awful. I am not backing Andrew, but it was the Queen's call," he wrote.
—Robert Jobson (@theroyaleditor) March 30, 2022
Prince Andrew reached a settlement with Virginia Giuffre Roberts for an undisclosed sum of money in February after she accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager in the early 2000s at the homes of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew has repeatedly denied the claims.
The Daily Telegraph reported that he had agreed to pay Giuffre Roberts around £12 million, or $16.3 million, using funds from the Queen's private estate. This has not been officially confirmed by Buckingham Palace or Andrew's representatives.
Buckingham Palace and representatives for Prince Andrew did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.