Prince Andrew At Prince Philip Memorial Is His Way of Creeping Back Into Royal Life?
Prince Andrew was recently in the spotlight beside Queen Elizabeth II at Prince Philip's memorial service.
But that wasn't a move that everyone agreed on.
The Duke of York took center stage as he escorted his mother to the Westminster Abbey memorial ceremony.
After accompanying his ill mother to her seat, he even took satisfaction in his front-row seat.
The rest of the royal family, however, was allegedly "dismayed" by Prince Andrew's wish to be there with his mother, amid speculation that she was giving her son a sign of "endorsement."
According to the Daily Mail, senior royals grudgingly agreed that the 62-year-old would accompany the Queen to London because they reside close.
Insiders, on the other hand, thought that "common sense" would triumph. The disgraced prince will not try to make a big impression in his first public appearance since reaching an out-of-court deal with Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre.
According to a source close to the royals, Prince Charles, Prince William, and other senior royals were "dismayed" by the events and the Duke of York's decision to focus himself on his late father's memorial ceremony.
"It would be a huge tragedy if this dominated the service," they said. There is a tremendous sense of bemusement that this has occurred."
Other royal insiders, however, think that this is Prince Andrew's method of re-entering the royal frontline after Queen Elizabeth II reaffirmed her support for him.
Royal expert Robert Kay wrote in the Daily Mail that one source expressed concern over the Duke of York's intention, "that having assumed such a prominent role at the monument, Andrew may start appearing at other major occasions like as June's Jubilee festivities."
Some royal analysts viewed Prince Andrew's significant and symbolic position - who is also known as Queen Elizabeth II's long-rumored favorite child - as a practical choice, while others claimed it was an attempt to rehabilitate him.
Prince Philip's memorial service provided an opportunity for his close family, as well as European royals, philanthropy big-wigs, and people whose generation was championed by the late Duke of Edinburgh, to say their final goodbyes to him after his was limited to 30 mourners due to COVID regulations in the UK last year.
