Queen Elizabeth is incredibly close to Prince Andrew, and many believe he is her favorite son. However, some believed that the Duke of York is only using his mother to return to the royal fold.
Prince Andrew Allegedly Using Relationship With Queen Elizabeth To Return To The Royal Life
Royal author Tina Brown spoke on 60 Minutes Australia, where she weighed in on Prince Andrew's close relationship with his mother. She acknowledged that the Duke of York lives near the Queen because he is just a "stone's throw away" from the Windsor. So, he can easily visit his mother whenever he wants. It's also comforting for the Queen to know that he will be there at every turn.
While the duke was able to maintain his close bond with the British monarch despite being involved in a string of controversies, Brown said he would have faced a different fate had it happened at a different point in time.
"In previous centuries, Andrew would have been banished to the borders you know and locked up in some castle keep but you can't do that in the 21st century," Brown said, per The News.
The Palace Papers author also noted that Prince Andrew's appearance alongside the Queen at Prince Philip's memorial in late March left the other members of the royal family in "great anxiety and sorrow." In her personal opinion, Prince Andrew has a motive.
“I think nobody was happy to see him at her side at that service. But I'm also told that he pushed his way in, that in fact he wasn't supposed to be walking down the aisle with her,” Brown continued.
“Prince Andrew believes strongly that he can get back… This is something that he's obsessed with and that he believes that this is going to happen… He will get back into the mix and of course, his mother right now is the best route as he sees it.”
Queen Elizabeth Upset Many When She Chose Prince Andrew As Her Consort
The 96-year-old British monarch has mobility issues. While some sources claimed Prince Andrew insisted that Prince Andrew forced himself to be the Queen's consort, others claimed the Queen appointed him.
However, whatever was the reason behind the Queen and Prince Andrew's sighting at Prince Philip's special memorial service, many were not happy seeing the controversial royal with Her Majesty just weeks after he settled the sexual assault case with Virginia Giuffre.
"His [Prince Andrew] presence was always going to be controversial, but Prince Andrew taking on the self-appointed role of consort for the day has completely overshadowed a beautiful service. And to think just a week ago palace sources were fretting about the optics of a ‘wheelchair,’” Finding Freedom author Omid Scobie tweeted at the time.
"Allowing shamed Prince Andrew to escort the Queen was a colossal mistake — my take on using a memorial service to rehabilitate a shunned royal," Daily Mirror associate editor Kevin Maguire tweeted.
Royal biographer Robert Jobson told People that the Queen chose Prince Andrew as her escort because he is the only one of her children who has no partner. Some netizens chose to support the Queen; after all, Prince Philip is Prince Andrew's dad.
"Of course, this is a service for Prince Andrew's father. He lost a parent last year. And the Queen, now a widow, needed a family member to support her," ITV News royal editor Chris Ship wrote. "This was also her firm wish. But given the damage Andrew has done to his mother's institution — it was a bold move by the Queen."
"After 70 years of service, if she wants her son's support at her husband's funeral, who are we to question or deny her? He settled with Ms. Guiffre and will no longer be in public life, which is enough," another person added.
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