Andrew was on the church walkabout this morning

[meh2022]

I was surprised (and not in a good way) to see Andrew join the rest of the royal family at the Christmas service at Sandringham church this morning. He even shook hands with at least one member of the crowd. Surely he should be kept away from the public if the royal family have any desire whatsoever to keep the monarchy going? What is Charles thinking in allowing him to join them?!

Obsessed? Really? No, I just like it if people are educated about sex trafficking. That's all.

What a strange thing to say and the only defence you have I s'pose to suggest that victims of sex trafficking have to be bruised and bloodied to prove they have been trafficked and/or raped.

Sorry you don't get to dictate who shakes hands with someone. If these people had your views they would have turned away in the same way that woman did with Meghan. Not everyone is do judgemental. They see shades of grey and may choose to forgive. You seem to ignore the fact the guilty person was Epstein. Why not look at the appalling American justice system that allowed him to carry on rather than crucify someone who made a huge mistake 30 years ago and paid for it by losing everything important to him? How about a little forgiveness?

Quite clear guidelines in the CofE. A known paedophile would be covered by the Probation Service/ probably on the Sexual Offenders Register. If wanting to worship would be expected to co-operate with a risk assessment by the diocesan safeguarding staff, followed by a safeguarding agreement that would cover their attendance and behaviour at the relevant Church, e.g. attended a specific service, did not attempt to socialise with families with children, etc That would be monitored by an agreed team, including the clergy, churchwardens, the Parish Safeguarding Officer.

Any concerns about PAs presence at the church in Sandringham can be raised with the diocesan safeguarding staff, if you are concerned that the parish team are not taking it seriously. They will undertake a risk assessment if there is any evidence to suggest he is a risk to others who are attending

Here are the contact details for anyone who thinks PA is a safeguarding risk by attending Church in Sandringham:
www.dioceseofnorwich.org/safeguarding/reporting-a-safeguarding-concern/

I personally don’t think our royal family should be supporting convicted child sex offenders

You wouldn't think this would be such a contentious POV would you? But ignoring Andrew for a moment we now have a monarch who's been shown to do exactly that, and some are appently quite relaxed about this

Beats the hell out of me ...

"I was surprised to see Andrew join the rest of the royal family at the Christmas service at Sandringham church this morning."
So was I, but sinners go to church all the time, and he was with his family at the place where they usually go to church. I do not regard it as having been a formal Royal engagement.

I don't think PA is a safe guarding risk at a church service. I was responding to thise who think that literally anyone, regardless of past or current behaviour would/should be welcomed with open arms into any church service. That is simply not how it works.

These people who have that opinion haven't said if they are Christians or not. I specifically asked one, but no reply so far. I will draw my own conclusions.

It appears in the Court Circular. So you can regard it how you want, but it is announced an engagement.

"He even shook hands with at least one member of the crowd."

Were you in the crowd, OP, where you could see what happened? Did someone in the crowd put out a hand to be shaken? Do you know anyone who was there, who took amateur footage on a phone, and could show us?

Its on video, Just google it.

The walk about is the part after church isn’t it? That’s the one that’s expected to be listed as an official engagement. Which didn’t include him.

Them all walking to church isn’t logged as an official engagement for every member of the family that walks down towards church. Some of the ones walking down don’t do official engagements at all. Just like Andrew doesn’t.

I was responding to thise who think that literally anyone, regardless of past or current behaviour would/should be welcomed with open arms into any church service. That is simply not how it works

Well it worked just fine for a local priest, who gave out that he had cancer and was going home to Ireland to die - except it turned out that he was actually skipping out ahead of an arrest warrant for child abuse

And that same priest is now once again taking services and enjoying a prominent role in his community

I wonder if this will be the final step that tips one of you over the precipice of having to take legal responsibility and the real life consequences of that action

I am actually laughing at that. Tomorrow's headlines in the rags "MUMSNETTER ACCUSED OF QUESTIONING PRINCE ANDREW'S ATTENDANCE AT SANDRINGHAM"

There is a lot written out there about him. Some very true, some exaggerated, some OTT... I don't think he's interested in any posters on here who thinks he is trying to ingratiate himself back into the RF so he can pick up where he left off.

I don't think he is a safeguarding risk. My point is that those who claim he is have a means of having their concerns are addressed.

From what I know - on a work basis - of the CofE safeguarding staff they will respond and do a proper risk assessment. If there is any reason to think he is a risk they will put measures in place to allow attendance for worship while protecting the potentially vulnerable.

I suspect there is no reason to think he is a risk and will be allowed to attend church as he chooses.

Well unless you’re suggesting Rousette is a victim of sex trafficking there won’t be projection will there?

it may be a surprise to you but I t is in fact entirely possible to have a reasonable level of empathy for other people’s awful experiences without having that direct experience ourselves.

for some of us at least 🙄

I don't think he's a safeguarding risk. I do however think he is tone deaf and if he actually did properly disappear for a few years, maybe some (not me!) would look more kindly upon him because of total absence.

But he can't resist can he? At every opportunity he shows up, the fact he had been to the early morning service anyway, and he had no need to go on the walkabout one, seems to escape him. He is desperate to get back in to how it was before, people bowing and scraping to him, treating people beneath him like shit, lots of shiny medals on dress up day on the balcony. The public won't stand for it, not in a million years and I have no sympathy whatsoever. He has abused his position for decades and the JE debacle was the final straw that broke the camels back

Thank you, and you are correct I have not been such a victim. However, in a previous role I have spoken to those who have been coerced and manipulated into awful situations and do have some empathy and to be honest with you... I am sick to death of hearing
"but she was 17"
It makes my blood boil. 17 is not a lifetime of maturity and knowing how to deal with certain situations.

But it's his family! We aren't talking about him wandering about at VIP events expecting adulation. His daughters were there. Why on earth shouldn’t he walk to church with them. It'd be nice next time if Fergie joined them.

He has lost his reputation, his patronages and more through his stupid friendship with Epstein, I think going to church with his relatives should be allowed.

Words fail me.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotherham_child_sexual_exploitation_scandal
The abuse included gang rape, forcing children to watch rape, dousing them with petrol and threatening to set them on fire, threatening to rape their mothers and younger sisters, as well as trafficking them to other towns.[19] There were pregnancies (one at age 12), pregnancy terminations, miscarriages, babies raised by their mothers, in addition to babies removed, causing further trauma.

I don't actually care about the Christmas service thing. As long as I don't see him again until next Christmas, bar the Coronation which no doubt he will be desperate to be front stage.

He will grab every opportunity, the christmas service is totally not surprising.

All I’ve said is that he maintained a long term friendship with a convicted child sex predator, brought him to royal functions, promoted and supported him and attended parties held by that child sex abuser where teenage girls were in abundance.

nothing illegal there. But I’d suggest that’s pretty distasteful behaviour by most (though as this thread shows, not all!) people’s standards.