Why Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee Is ‘Tarnished,’ and Not Due to Her Health
Next week, Queen Elizabeth II will honor her remarkable 70-year reign as a British queen with the Platinum Jubilee.
From June 2 to June 5, public events and community activities will include her birthday parade, popularly known as Trooping the Color, a Thanksgiving Service at St. Paul's Cathedral, and the Derby.
One royal critic and novelist have already called Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee "tarnished" - and it's not because of her failing health.
Clive Irving of the Daily Beast suggested that 2022 be a year of "beautiful, pristine" celebrations of Her Majesty, who has been on the throne for 70 years.
Sadly, this is not the case.
"Instead, [the Platinum Jubilee] became soiled by the Queen's second son's wickedness - and by the riddle of connection to him, exhibited when he walked her to her place in Westminster Abbey for the ceremony commemorating Prince Philip's life," Irving wrote.
Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of York rode in the same car from Windsor to Westminster Abbey before walking to the front of the congregation assembled to commemorate Prince Philip.
Her Majesty, who has had mobility problems since mid-last year, clung to the arm of her second eldest son as he led her to the front row.
The Duke of Edinburgh monument was Prince Andrew's first public appearance following his settlement with accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre. She said that the king molested her sexually while she was just 17 years old.
Following Giuffre's filing last year, the Duke of York's legal team likewise attempted to dismiss the lawsuit. However, in early 2022, a judge refused the motion to dismiss and even declared that the matter should be heard in court.
In February, Prince Andrew reached an out-of-court settlement for more than $12 million, including damages to the accuser and a gift to the charity of her choosing to help victims of human rights violations.
The king, on the other hand, has rejected all of Giuffre's charges and even denied ever meeting her.
Many journalists and royal specialists were taken aback by Prince Andrew's presence at his father's funeral ceremony, which overshadowed the Duke of Edinburgh's memorial service.
