Prince Andrew escorts the Queen: the start of a royal rehabilitation?

The Queen’s decision to be escorted by Prince Andrew to a memorial service for the Duke of Edinburgh has prompted a great deal of comment, including speculation it was the start of the disgraced Duke’s rehabilitation into public life.

The monarch held the prince’s outstretched forearm as she entered Westminster Abbey in what The times Described as “a public demonstration of support for her son who is no longer taking on royal duties”.

A family source said Daily Mail that his decision to place himself “front and centre” and to travel with the queen caused “dismay”. The Duke of York appeared to refuse to hand over the Queen to the Dean of Westminster. Instead, the king “hung on to his 95-year-old mother” and “continued to escort her to her seat in full view of guests and the media.”

Andrew was “accused of completely misjudging public sentiment by playing such a prominent role just weeks after he struck a multi-million pound settlement with his rapist Virginia Giuffrewhose claims he has always denied,” the Mail added.

Kevin Maguire from the daily mirror wrote that this was a “cynical, unprovokedly offensive attempt by the Queen to redeem her ‘disgraced son Andrew'”.

He added that “the decision to be escorted to and from Westminster Abbey by a man who is said to have paid £12million to settle a sordid sex case to avoid a court hearing was deeply disgusting”.

Sean O’Grady from The Independent said it was “another PR blunder, and a particularly ghastly one at that,” adding that “whoever — individually or collectively — is responsible for this arm of the monarchy is not doing it very well.”

Mark Borkowski, a PR and royal commentator, was also disapproving. He said The guard that if Andrew were to test the waters to determine in what capacity he might return to public life, it would be consistent with the combination of “hubris and arrogance” and poor judgment that Andrew had shown in the past, as with his BBC news night interview.

He speculated that the decision to give the prince a prominent role reflected the queen’s loyalty, but added that “if that is their gesture, it is a colossal mistake for them to use a memorial service to redeem this polluted king.” .”

across the atlantic, The New York Times said Andrew’s “flashy” public appearance was an “unmistakable message of support” from a 95-year-old mother for her disgraced son.

“It’s no coincidence,” Peter Hunt, a former BBC royal correspondent, told the newspaper. “There has to be some thought behind it.” Hunt added, “Did Charles and William try to intervene and did they fail?”

A slightly more supportive voice came from GB News presenter Dan Wootton. “The Queen (bless her) does things her way. Always,” he tweeted.

“Today there is no doubt that she sent a very clear message: Prince Andrew remains my favorite son and I fully support him.” Wootton added that this was “an absolutely fascinating insight into her loyalty and faith”.

The next question is whether Andrew will appear prominently at one of the platinum anniversary events this summer. Asked by The Telegraph A royal source replied: “Dubious but too early to tell.”