How Prince William And Prince Charles Reportedly Felt About Prince Andrew Escorting The Queen
On March 29, Prince Andrew escorted Queen Elizabeth to Prince Philip's memorial service, a surprising move amidst Andrew's recent sexual assault allegations. Prince Andrew is even in talks to reportedly escort Her Majesty to another event, despite public outcry. Now, royal experts are discussing how family members like Prince William and Prince Charles allegedly feel about Andrew's presence at the memorial service.
The Service of Thanksgiving was held at Westminster Abbey, and many prominent members of the British royal family were in attendance. This included Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, Princess Anne, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, along with Prince George and Princess Charlotte, also attended the service (via Town & Country).
The event also marked the queen's first official public appearance in half a year. It was not known if she would be at the service until that very morning, as she made a last-minute decision to attend the memorial for her husband. While there, Queen Elizabeth used a walking stick, and she was escorted by Prince Andrew. This was the first time he had been seen in public since he reached a settlement in his case involving Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexual assault (via The Evening Standard).
According to royal experts, Prince William and Prince Charles were reportedly worried about Prince Andrew escorting Queen Elizabeth to the service.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Prince Andrew walked in with Queen Elizabeth, despite his recent scandals
In November 2019, Prince Andrew stepped away from his royal duties due to his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, who was arrested for sex trafficking and later died in prison (via BBC). Due to this scandal, and Prince Andrew's resulting sexual assault case, many were surprised to see the Duke of York escorting Queen Elizabeth to Prince Philip's memorial.
The Evening Standard's Robert Jobson said that the queen's other children were there with their spouses, so it made sense that Prince Andrew would be the one to walk with her at the event. "She's a woman of faith and forgiveness," he said, according to Royal Central. "It was her decision."
Royal expert Katie Nicholl echoed these thoughts on "The Royal Beat," saying, "This was the queen's way of showing two things: One, that the buck stops with her, and she makes the decisions, and secondly ... that she believes he's innocent" (via Royal Central). Nicholl went on to state that Prince William and Prince Charles were not fans of this decision, even if it came from Queen Elizabeth herself.
Prince Andrew was front and center at Prince Philip's memorial
As reported by The Mirror, Prince William and Prince Charles allegedly brought up their worries about Prince Andrew escorting Queen Elizabeth to the memorial service more than once. The two reportedly believed that it was best to avoid bringing Prince Andrew to the event given his recent court case, as there would be 1,800 guests present at the service, which was also live-streamed by the BBC. However, Queen Elizabeth allegedly overruled their decision and asked Prince Andrew to attend the service at her side.
Following this decision, the Daily Mail wrote about how senior members of the royal family — including the Duke of Cambridge and the Prince of Wales — felt about Prince Andrew being showcased in this way. William and Charles were apparently hesitant to provide such positive attention to Andrew, and they supposedly hoped that a change would be made before the big day. Earlier this year, a settlement was reached in Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre's case, per NPR.
Despite the fact that Prince Andrew continuously denied the sexual assault accusations against him, he will be donating money to Giuffre's charity, Victims Refuse Silence, which works to help victims of sexual abuse and human trafficking.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).