Who advised the Queen to walk into the Abbey escorted by Andrew??

[TinyTortoise]

This seems to be the most tone deaf and damaging decision. It's a public facing event with international leaders and royals. If it was a closed family gathering I could understand it - he is her son still- but why on earth would they allow him to escort her to her seat?! He should be invisible from now on and never represent the RF again. He could have attended and stood somewhere out of the way. She could have chosen anyone to escort her. It's staggeringly awful!

Maybe he's the right height and used to walking with her but the others aren't.

@DONTYELL

I don’t see why it would cause more fuss because the media would have made a fuss whatever

Yeah but which is better: “Look there’s Andrew not taking a prominent role, sitting away from the family, which is completely right in the circumstances” Or “Look there’s Andrew walking in with the Queen at a major public event, which is as public a signal of her endorsement of him as it’s possible for her to give.”

He could have come in the side door without hanging on to his mum at the same time.

@PurpleDaisies

Can we remember as well that he wasn't 'escorting' his mother but he was physically supporting her to walk.

He was not the only person who could have fulfilled that role.

Yes but think about it.

Until a week or so ago they were still discussing how she'd get there. That's not long enough to properly vet anyone who doesn't already have such clearance.

Who does then? Well her children and grandchildren obviously.

Charles has an official role in the ceremony today, Ann I discussed already, Edward has his children there and they are still young enough to need help in events like this.

Grandchildren, well again they either were supporting / being supported by spouses or had young children

Her lady in waiting isn't much younger than her, is she physically up to the task?

Security guard, maybe, but did she feel confident and comfortable with them being that close?

He was at a memorial for his father. I think that needs to be remembered and kept separate. He was barely seen, had every right to attend, and I think he was in the role of supporter to his mother to underline that he was there in his capacity as a son first and foremost. Anything else isn’t relevant to the ceremony.

@PurpleDaisies

Can we remember as well that he wasn't 'escorting' his mother but he was physically supporting her to walk.

He was not the only person who could have fulfilled that role.

Maybe he's good at it. I can certainly remember him being the one helping his granny (the Queen Mother) when she got frailer. I remember that because at Princess Anne's second wedding he got quite cross because she wouldn't wait for a step to be brought to help her get out of the car. It made me laugh at the time as they caught him on the microphone and it just sounded like any GS in the country telling granny off. I get it off mine now.

Sounds like I'm a royal stalker but I'm not, it was just on the evening news. I haven't even watched the royals today.

@Blossomtoes

This thread is incredible

You’re right. It’s also full of posts by people who quite obviously haven’t seen the TV coverage of the service and have homed onto it as it gives them the perfect opportunity to express their anti monarchist views.

This i watched it and said to my husband 'oh she's walking in on someone's arm, can't see who though.' It wasn't until they actually said it was Prince Andrew that I realised. He wasn't exactly front and centre and he was sat in the second bank of royals so not in prime camera space either.

@DingleyDel

She clearly doesn’t care. I think it’s sending a message that she still stands by him. Unfortunately I’ve lost all respect I had for the Queen after this whole debacle.

Same here

I suspect the decision was made on the basis that he is her son, Philip was his father and the Queen wanted him to.

Regardless of your views of what he did or didn’t do, that will still matter to the Queen as his mother.

She’s prob trying to keep an eye on the cunt

@Blossomtoes

This thread is incredible

You’re right. It’s also full of posts by people who quite obviously haven’t seen the TV coverage of the service and have homed onto it as it gives them the perfect opportunity to express their anti monarchist views.

I'm not violently anti-monarchist whatsoever. Intellectually I disagree with the idea of a hereditary monarchy, but practically I very much don't want any more boat rocking in the country after we've been through Brexit, Covid etc. the idea of a massive national debate about abolishing them, and then the toxic arguments that would follow about the system that should replace them all sounds absolutely draining for the time being. I'd rather they slimmed right down and quietly got on with it a bit like the Danish royals do. But they'll need better PR than today if they are going to survive at all, and that's my point.

@Sharrowgirl

Anyone know the significance of the colour green? Lots of ladies wearing it….

Not sure if this has been answered, apparently it is Edinburgh Green and was worn as a tribute to the Duke

@Sharrowgirl

Anyone know the significance of the colour green? Lots of ladies wearing it….

Apparently the DOE s livery was always green, or maybe they didn’t want to wear black.

Carrying on from comments re DOY I was watching on BBC and noticed that while everyone and their dog ( though there were no dogs btw) was named them the DOY wasnt ! So far out of the circle even the BBC commentating team cold shoulder him. Harsh, but fair.

Maybe she thinks he’s my favourite son. I am 95 and I am going to do what I bloody well like because I won’t be around much longer.

It’s Edinburgh Green, the colour of his personal livery, and the colour of the Land Rover that carried the coffin. It’s a nod to that, and interestingly seems to be worn mostly by the most senior Royal women from many countries today.
😊=smug face cos I predicted it.

DingleyDel

She clearly doesn’t care. I think it’s sending a message that she still stands by him. Unfortunately I’ve lost all respect I had for the Queen after this whole debacle.

She has show her allegiance, and it isnt with her "subjects" (), PC or PW.

She has stuck 2 fingers up at everyone today. Sad. I have lost respect today for a lady I quite admired. Am sure she will be gutted

My comment wasn’t directed at you @TinyTortoise. All the usual suspects have pitched up on your thread and it’s perfectly obvious most pp haven’t even seen the footage.

The torrent of public mourning when the Queen dies will keep them safe for a while and, provided Charles does a half decent job and slims it all down, I expect the monarchy to last my life time. I can see it becoming a much more modern institution once the Queen’s gone.

I also thought it was ironic to hear a young woman from a not very privileged background stand up and say how grateful she was for the opportunities the DOE scheme had given her which she had seized in both hands and used to great advantage, ironic because she was saying it in front of several rows of the most privileged people in the world , most of whom since birth have been offered opportunities unimaginable to the rest of us - and completely ignored those opportunities knowing they never actually have to try too hard at anything, so they don’t.

Hey ho.

@TheArtfulBlogger

DingleyDel

She clearly doesn’t care. I think it’s sending a message that she still stands by him. Unfortunately I’ve lost all respect I had for the Queen after this whole debacle.

She has show her allegiance, and it isnt with her "subjects" (), PC or PW.

She has stuck 2 fingers up at everyone today. Sad. I have lost respect today for a lady I quite admired. Am sure she will be gutted

I feel the same. I'm not a royalist but I obviously grew up with the queen in the throne, I thought the queen was the most glamorous person, held in high regard by family members and all the television footage I ever saw was positive so I have been quite fond of her. She lost my respect today. Before anyone tells me my respect doesn't matter to her - that's the whole point!

I too wondered about the prevalence of green attire; I don't like it but I now understand the significance so thank you to whoever said.

It just shows how incredibly entitled the Queen is, that despite everything, she’ll do whatever she wants, regardless of public opinion. I think this was a very deliberate decision. She’s a silly woman, it will not have done her any favours with the public, no one likes Andrew. She won’t be here much longer though and I can’t see Charles and William pandering to him like mummy does.

@Blossomtoes I hope we don't get rid of the monarchy.

I'm from a town in Cambridgeshire that was once home to Oliver Cromwell. We still have his statue pointing down disapprovingly in the market place. It didn't sound much fun being a republic.

Lots of nice style today, I particularly like the cut of Leti’s outfit, and she’s also in green. Kate looked elegant, I think the hat was a tad big. Lady Louise looked very nice, and suddenly a young woman rather than unsure teenager. Eug looked nice too, and I love Beas hat. Mad eyed Freddie looks more like wills than ever, and his wife looked beautiful in Catherine Walker. Penny Romsey, always elegant. Max - love the cape.
HMQ- a brooch given as a gift by Philip, and the green and aubergine colours look lovely. She did well today, it must have been a huge strain.

I suspect the Duke Of Edinburgh shared that sentiment where some of his family were concerned, viques.

Oops . Wrong thread sorry, meant for S and B.

[quote Twizbe]@Blossomtoes I hope we don't get rid of the monarchy.

I'm from a town in Cambridgeshire that was once home to Oliver Cromwell. We still have his statue pointing down disapprovingly in the market place. It didn't sound much fun being a republic.[/quote]
Right, because every republic in the world is run by joyless puritans.