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!

@ididntevennotice

I watched it. You barely saw him. Last to arrive, first to leave and no close ups. He was as close to invisible as it’s possible to get.

Yet it's front page news for tomorrow - he wasn't invisible.

Don't you think it would have been front page news if he'd sneaked in the back, walked in with his brothers, wore a wig and a false nose.

Don't you think it would have been front page news if he'd sneaked in the back, walked in with his brothers, wore a wig and a false nose.

Whataboutery makes no sense to me. I can only comment on what happened. Not what might have happened.

@ididntevennotice

I watched it. You barely saw him. Last to arrive, first to leave and no close ups. He was as close to invisible as it’s possible to get.

Yet it's front page news for tomorrow - he wasn't invisible.

You don’t understand the concept of close to? Or almost?

Thank you worraletdown, I'm obviously out of date!

Why the need for a memorial gathering?

There was a funeral with pageantry and military marching and hymns and broadcast to the world.

This drama today was indulgent. Many had tiny funerals and sat apart during Covid. A private service remembering DOE and all those who died in lonely times would have been on the button.

No hymns at the funeral, Myee. Plenty of people who had to make do with a tiny, limited funeral during the pandemic have chosen to opt for a memorial service once more people could be involved.

He’s her son, and I don’t care, what anyone thinks except for her comfort. Poor woman, has visibly declined recently.
She should receive a medal, for all of her work for this country.

@ididntevennotice

Don't you think it would have been front page news if he'd sneaked in the back, walked in with his brothers, wore a wig and a false nose.

Whataboutery makes no sense to me. I can only comment on what happened. Not what might have happened.

When they were making the plans they didn't have the option to wait till after the event to see what happened. Funny that.

She's 95
And going to her husband's memorial.

She gets to decide these things herself

@EthelTheAardvark

No hymns at the funeral, Myee. Plenty of people who had to make do with a tiny, limited funeral during the pandemic have chosen to opt for a memorial service once more people could be involved.

I'm obv a heathen, but not being CofE, are hymns forbidden at funerals or was it because of the masks? Prob the masks. But there was lovely music a Capella by the choristers. It was beautiful.

I honestly wonder if today is one of the last times we will see the Queen in public. If she manages to last to the Jubilee I don't think she will be here this time next year. Much as we all despise PA he will play a part in her funeral & the coronation of PC.

When they were making the plans they didn't have the option to wait till after the event to see what happened. Funny that.

I don't really understand what you mean. They would have known full well that publicly supporting Andrew would not make him invisible. I was saying I personally can only comment on what happened, mostly because I only really understand fact. Royal advisors? Yes they should be able to think 'how will this go down' - this was never intended to make Andrew invisible

Get over myself? Haha ok. You're drastically missing the point though aren't you. The point is it looks appalling to the public and rest of the world and will be yet another poor choice which damages the monarchy paving the way for Her Maj to be the last, or at least the penultimate monarch.

I'm in the "rest of the world" and I seriously doubt many here are bothered either way, and there are many posts on this thread defending the choice, so not everyone is"appalled". The royal family are well liked here - not by all obviously - and I can't imagine this will change anything. And even if you are right and the choice does "damage the monarchy" - how does that affect you?? I stand by my original statement - get over yourself.

@Myee, hymns were forbidden at the time because all those people singing together are more likely to be pumping out viruses.

Well Andrew's prominent role in the service has been highlighted by many of tomorrow's papers.

The Mirror, the Fail, The Independent, and The Guardian have all run stories on it on their on-line front pages. The Sun has an article further back.

So s few people were obviously bothered by it!

Rebecca English in the Fail even reports that it was intended that the Dean of Westminster escort the Queen to her seat, with PA walking behind, but PA carried on walking in front of the cameras.

I watched it and all he did was walk in and out with her on his arm, hardly promoting himself.

The media is vile. Typical of them to dig up some more ammunition (from 'sources'), when a story is on the wane.

As I said upthread.
The Queen doesn't care what anyone thinks.
Ill be astounded if Andrew does disappear, as what are the consequences here?
No government is going to end the Monarchy. We are dependent on Royaltys goodwill to just reduce their obligations little bit.

‘ Were the trafficking laws even around when this happened?’

Not in the UK at that time.
The legal situation would be different now.

Speaking as we were earlier about the media, I was looking online for any more details about the memorial service, not specifically for Prince Andrew, and came across the HateMail headline:

"Charles and William 'dismayed' at disgraced Andrew role in Prince Philip service: Palace insiders tell of senior royals' 'regret and consternation' after shameless duke walked the Queen to her seat - putting himself 'front and centre' as world watched on"

What utter rubbish. I've always believed in freedom of the press but the amount of hatred and rubbish they stir up and then won't let die down, is shameful. Nobody who watched the service would think that but there will be people who latch on to and enjoy the scandal mongering. It's horrifying.

Trafficking laws may not have been around but it was always dubious and in very poor taste to surround yourself with girls of your own daughters’ age and date them.

I've only seen bits of the service. I think it would have been more galling to see PA stride in the front door, greeting everyone and swagger up through the middle.

People dont seem to mind the daily mail when it comes time for them to tell you who to vote for in a general election

Further to my previous post, as a citizen of the "rest of the world" I have just read a news article about it here - and more attention was given to the absence of Harry and Meghan than was to Andrew escorting his mother, which rated no more than a sentence. Just because newspapers there are in a froth over it doesn't mean the rest of the world is aghast!

@SquirrelG

Further to my previous post, as a citizen of the "rest of the world" I have just read a news article about it here - and more attention was given to the absence of Harry and Meghan than was to Andrew escorting his mother, which rated no more than a sentence. Just because newspapers there are in a froth over it doesn't mean the rest of the world is aghast!

I'm glad to hear that, Squirrel. Not everyone here is in a froth either but the papers - sheesh!

No, I didn't imagine everyone in the UK was in a froth - just the papers and various MNers