Queen Elizabeth was sending two powerful messages when she chose Prince Andrew to be her escort to Prince Philip's memorial service last week. Her Majesty's move raised several eyebrows and there were claims that Prince William and Prince Charles were dismayed, but the Queen still makes the call.
Queen Elizabeth Sent Two Messages To The British Heirs And The World In Recent Sighting With Favorite Son
Her Majesty arrived at Westminster Abbey last Tuesday with her favorite son, Prince Andrew. The Queen and the royal family received an intense backlash for putting the controversial royal front and center at the gathering by being the 95-year-old royal's escort.
Queen Elizabeth, who has mobility issues, arrived with a walking stick in one hand and she held Prince Andrew's elbow in her other hand. The monarch knew that there might be outrage, but she didn't mind because she was sending a stern message to Prince Charles, Prince William and the world, according to royal biographer Katie Nicholl.
"They knew the result of this... this was the Queen’s way of showing two things," Nicholl was quoted by Express as saying when she appeared on True Royalty's The Royal Beat. "One, that the buck stops with her, and she makes the decisions, and secondly that she believes he’s innocent. She made the point very, very clearly."
She added that both heirs were aware of how the public would react. For Nicholls, the sight of Prince Andrew escorting the Queen "has overtaken what should have been a memorial to a great man."
According to Daily Mirror’s royal editor Russell Myers, the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge delivered some "kickback." But just like Nicholl's, the heirs knew that the Queen is still on top of the hierarchy.
"You are the monarch and they are representatives of the Royal Family, especially when you’ve got two future kings there, who are already delivering some kickback," Myers explained. "That’s my understanding, as the Queen overruled Charles and William and she said, ‘this is the way that I want it,’ and I think that really hammers home who is the boss. If it was ever in doubt that the Queen is the boss of the family ‒ she is the one who made that decision."
Queen Elizabeth Was Not Bullied, She Chose Prince Andrew As Her Escort
There were reports alleging that Prince Andrew demanded to be put in front and center at Prince Philip's memorial service. The disgraced royal allegedly demanded to be his mother's escort because he believed that being seen with his mother would rebuild his reputation.
However, royal biographer Robert Jobson debunked the claim. According to him, the Queen chose her second son because he is the only one of her four children who has no partner. Also, he agreed that it was a sign that the Queen has faith in her second son, whom many believed was her favorite.
"The Queen made her decision for her own reasons. She was not bullied into by Andrew," Jobson tweeted Thursday after several people criticized the Queen for choosing Prince Andrew as her escort. "She asked him to accompany her and if the Queen asks you to do something, it is not a request. The vitriol against Her Majesty is awful. I am not backing Andrew, but it was the Queen’s call."
Stay tuned for more news and updates about the royal family.
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