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!

[turnthebiglightoff]

He's her son. She is an old woman. It really is, unfortunately, as simple as that. He's faced no criminal charges (in a court etc), and regardless of how any of us feel about him he is her son and it's her right to ask him to help her celebrate the life of her late husband. It really should just be left at that and I agree with a PP, anything else is just nastiness.

[Mumdiva99]

After seeing her sitting alone at the funeral I couldn't care less who escorts her.....just so long as she is escorted and looked after. I thought the image of her at the funeral was one of the saddest things I've ever seen. (And yes I know it happened for other people too during Covid, and I feel the same empathy for them).

[dfendyr]

@DingleyDel

Maybe Harry refused to attend if he knew Andrew was going to have such a prominent role? HM has not one but TWO other sons who aren’t rapists who could have walked her in.

I dont think that PA attending had anything to do with PH not attending

Agree that PA shouldn't have walked her in

[Sharrowgirl]

He’s still her son. And whether we like it or not, he’s not been convicted of a crime.

[Canigooutyet]

Really bizarre decision and shows how out of touch they really are. Probably thinking well everything is fine as it's all been paid off.
Was also wondering if that was also why Harry didn't show.

[dfendyr]

(don't know why i was duplicated.... have reported to MNHQ)

[Canigooutyet]

Only reason he wasn't convicted is because the cheque book came out and settled out of court.

[BotterMon]

@gogohm

He's her son, it's his dad's memorial. He's also the only one who is single (well publicly single who knows in private) . I don't think it means anything more than a son helping his frail mother who is stubborn and won't use a wheelchair.

Exactly this.

[Ncwinc]

He’s the favourite. That’s why he’s been allowed to behave the way he does and get away with it for years.

[EdithWeston]

@Canigooutyet

Really bizarre decision and shows how out of touch they really are. Probably thinking well everything is fine as it's all been paid off.
Was also wondering if that was also why Harry didn't show.

I don't think it can be.

He announced he wasn't coming nearly 3 weeks ago, and I doubt there would have been detailed mobility planning for the Queen from that far out. Or that D of S would have known about those parts of the plans even when they began to be formed

[BlanketsBanned]

He was helping his elderly mum, they walked in the short route away from the main route, its their business, not ours and he was not there representing the RF.

[vastgrandupgrade]

Least worst option. It meant he didn’t do the meet and greet and walk down the aisle. They barely showed him and the Queen arriving, he was on screen for seconds.

[crumpet]

I don’t think the outrage is justified- as others have said, this is to mark his father and he was helping his mother.

In many ways it was quite a neat solution - helping her in and out of the side door meant that he avoided the parading out of the front door like the others

[userxx]

@Sharrowgirl

He’s still her son. And whether we like it or not, he’s not been convicted of a crime.

Indeed.

[MrsMoastyToasty]

He's the only one without a spouse.

[StrychnineInTheSandwiches]

They’ve been playing a blinder with regards to the whole public relations game in the last few weeks…

[LondonWolf]

It's for his father, he's her son. Even convicted criminals get to go to their parent's funerals - The Krays anyone?

[StrychnineInTheSandwiches]

it's not a funeral

[SpinningTheSeedsOfLove]

@thereisonlyoneofme

For gods sake, theres no let up in the nastiness

The nastiness of Andrew? No, probably not. He's vile.

He'll use mummy and doesn't give a fuck.

She's let herself down again with yet another golden-child-related misstep.

[TerribleCustomerCervix]

She’s 96, it’s probably one of her last big engagements given the drip-drip of information coming out about her slowing down, staying put in Windsor etc. I’d guess she just doesn’t care how it’ll look.

I’m not let down by it- at no stage throughout the process has she given any indication that she thinks he’s behaved even slightly badly. Her choosing to bring him shouldn’t be a shock to anyone.

[Swayingpalmtrees]

I took it as a message to the world that Andrew is not perfect, but he is my son and he will escort me as normal. It will be an indication that the victim was paid off, and the chapter is closed. It would not surprise me at all to see Andrew at the jubilee etc. He is being managed, very slowly back into public view.

[LondonWolf]

@StrychnineInTheSandwiches

it's not a funeral

No because his actual funeral was affected by covid and the queen had to sit entirely alone as she said goodbye to her spouse of 73 years while the PM et al held parties in Downing Street. She can have whoever she wants - her son - to accompany her to remember her husband, and his father.

[mydogisthebest]

It was his father's memorial so of course he should have been there. If his elderly mother wanted him to help her walk then that's fine with me.

Was he meant to stay at home and miss the memorial? He was barely on the tv and the fuss some of you are making is pathetic.

[HermioneWeasley]

It shows contempt for public feeling and why the monarchy are completely out of touch and archaic