Prince Andrew BACK in the royal fold

[tatalan]

How do you feel about this development?

I don’t think they really know what to do with the Andrew problem so they reverted to protocol and arrived in order of precedence.

Although they could still have done four cars instead of three and had Andrew with Edward and Sophie and then Anne and husband in a car behind.

Perhaps they drew straws the night before.

Maybe Sophie put her foot down and said that she’d been the last one to endure an awkward public car ride and it was someone else’s turn.

Easier of course if Andrew would just do his Sunday morning worship at home privately.

Serenster · Today 10:45
Rosiem2808 · Today 10:41

Has Andrew actually been found guilty of anything?
No. He was galactically stupid in associating and continuing to associate with Epstein, and clearly is arrogant and thinks he’s Christmas - but he’s not the only man in the world who falls into either of those categories of course. Posters on MN think he should essentially live in solitary confinement for the rest fo his life, however.

Absolutely agree with this. It's his public role he's had to give up - and that will be no loss because he was a spectacularly bad "trade envoy".

wordler · Today 14:03
Easier of course if Andrew would just do his Sunday morning worship at home privately.

That's not the way the C of E works.....

I’m wondering what hold Andrew has over Willy and Charles in order for Andrew to be front and centre like this .
Spilling a few secrets on both maybe is the threat .

Was the leak re Andrew wanting his tax payer funded security back , linked to this shitshow ?
What a lovely ‘united’ family. With a knife to each other’s throat .
Who will blink first ?
That’s our head of state ? No wonder the UK is in the mess it is in
Made up ‘protocol’ to bolster these rotten feudal remnants
We need reform .

’l’m wondering what hold Andrew has over Willy and Charles in order for Andrew to be front and centre like this .
Spilling a few secrets on both maybe is the threat .

LOL, I did have that thought too. I’m not going to dismiss it outright. Mostly though, I think William has gotten it extraordinarily wrong.

Has the UK had access to The Secrets of Prince Andrew Documentary? I watched part one last night and it’s not showing Andrew in a good light at all. Part two promises to be worse.

No, there is no access to it over here in UK as I understand it.

It will come here eventually I imagine.

I’m wondering what hold Andrew has over Willy and Charles in order for Andrew to be front and centre like this

I've wondered (and said) the same for years

Of course there's no knowing how true his "planned eviction" from Royal Lodge was either, or whether he really was "planning a book", but it's still interesting that we hear little about him relocating now

Well, seriously, I have wondered if there's a rota. Edward, you walk to early church with him in December 2022. We'll all walk with him for the later service. IF we have him up to Balmoral in August, sorry Wills and Kate, but it'll be your turn to put up with him in the car. Yes, I know he could try and go in earlier by another door but the paps will still see him and some tabloid will make a deal out of that and the twitterati will froth for a day or two, so you might as well just go in the car with him in the usual way.

That's funny and quite feasible!
Who knows what goes on behind closed doors, but I do think the heir to the throne and his wife should maybe, just maybe, been excluded from this 'whose turn is it now' given their position!

He went quietly by another door at Sandringham, even during the Queen's lifetime.

I think the RF would have been better served by continuing that sort of arrangement.

It's still over a week until the anniversary of ER II's death, but I wouldn't hold it against a family to be together for that, nor even for a private holiday out of reach of cameras on one of the large estates.

But I think this was a gaffe (at best) and coming so close after the fuck-up over the World Cup final, it reflects badly on PoW's judgement

It's still over a week until the anniversary of ER II's death, but I wouldn't hold it against a family to be together for that, nor even for a private holiday out of reach of cameras on one of the large estates.

I agree. I think they are all together in Scotland aren't they. I don't begrudge him being with his family, not one little bit. I think Charles has extended an olive branch to Sarah too. Families come together on occasions like this and he is family.

Yes.

It must be very strange when a family member is accused of something so serious. It does seem like a bit of a weird decision.

I get the feeling that William has to pick his battles over what he can and can’t put his foot down over - including other issues as well as Andrew babysitting.

Charles is the one in charge now and as ridiculous as us ordinary people may find it William has to fall in line with what his father wants.

The Wales do have the best popularity ratings so they have a little wriggle room on pushing for what they want but they live by the sword and die by the sword - so to speak.

What the monarch wants they get - for some reason Charles wanted Andrew in William’s car. If he’d wanted Andrew not to be there at all, or to travel in a different car it would have happened.

It could be a brother mourning their mother together on this anniversary period. I hope that’s all it is - I’d hate to think that Charles wants Andrew back front and center in royal life.

This is like the public reaction to Diana's death in reverse. The public demanded that the royal family come down to London and show themselves including William and Harry. It was grotesque. Now the Queen has died and the family wants to go to church and mourn her but Andrew must not appear. I don't like Andrew but he has every right to mourn his own mother.

I really think they don't get the fact that the world is unutterably changed as compared to a generation ago. That #metoo changed the debate once and for all and the Andrew story isn't finished by a long way and by shielding/defending and trying to rehabilitate him they bring the shame onto themselves as well. We see them in the cold light of day of how they think and how they act and how they believe they are above the realms of decency and fairness, and it ain't nothing to do with H&M. They need to pick which hill they want to live and maybe die on and the world's media and the British public just won't take this.

Who knows what goes on behind closed doors, but I do think the heir to the throne and his wife should maybe, just maybe, been excluded from this 'whose turn is it now' given their position!

That's why I'm really surprised they got involved, Roussette, especially when they're usually SO careful over their image

That said, I agree with wordler that William may have to pick his battles and that what Charles wants he'll get - though it leaves the question of why he'd want to oversee a move that was bound to be viewed negatively

We see them in the cold light of day of how they think and how they act and how they believe they are above the realms of decency and fairness, and it ain't nothing to do with H&M

It doesn't need to be "anything to do with H&M" Vera, or even a question of "who's worst" ... It's perfectly possible to criticise both without it needing to be some sort of competition

I think Andrew was in the front seat, so the photographers could get a good clear picture. It's a message to Harry once again IMO about who is in and who is out. Also, Andrew is not just being driven by his nephew, he’s being driven by the Future King. The optics of a known sexual predator being chauffeured by the future king, while the future queen looks on from the back seat is pretty damn shocking. This says William is all in on protecting and uplifting Andrew.

It’s letting Harry and the world know, “Never go against the family.” Harry “betrayed” them according to them, by telling the truth. Andrew, by lying in interviews and otherwise keeping his mouth shut, is the ideal. Keeping family secrets, no matter how despicable, reigns supreme.

It's The Firm a bit like the Mafia. Harry and Meghan can go swim with the fishes. Omerta is all.

I agree. He is family, he should be with the rest of his family on the anniversary of his mother's death.

I just have a problem with how he got there, that is all.

Should he travel in a tumbril wearing a hair shirt?

The material difference is PA is a person of interest by long term close association with 2 convicted sex traffickers and groomers one of whom has died in mysterious circumstance and the other serving a long sentence for the same offences. Whereas Harry has foolishly taken drugs and admitted to it. I think any reasonable person will find Andrew Windsor's behaviour many times worse than Harry and will continue to do so however much the BRF will try and finesse it away with their ill-judged "stunts".

If we get that choice .......I'll bring the knitting.

As for Andrew making a comeback, I get the impression he and Charles are not close.

Haven't you got better things to do than sit knitting while the guillotine falls? This is the bit I don't get. The bitter hatred.

Agree (not something we do often!)

There is absolutely no reason he could not have travelled separately (and slightly in advance) as he did on a number of occasions when ER II was still alive.

I'm not saying he shouldn't go to church, or be with his family in private (on one of their estates, or at a "no cameras" church service. I don't think being separate for the short duration of a car journey from castle to church is remotely similar to the demands that the RF show themselves after the death of Diana.