No surprise he was at his father’s memorial service. But the looks from Charles and William told you his public life is over
The sight of Prince Andrew (one title he still has left) escorting his mum, the Queen, to her seat in Westminster Abbey this morning at the memorial service for the Duke of Edinburgh was enough to send social media watchers into conniptions.
Goodness, he was actually grasping her elbow to steady her! And taking his seat next to his younger brother, Prince Edward, admittedly distanced from Charles and William by the breadth of an aisle. What was he doing there? Why was he invited? How dare he show his face, just a few weeks after paying millions of his mother’s money to Virginia Giuffre to settle the looming legal action in New York. Isn’t he a pariah, despite denying any culpability in the case? How could it be allowed? Had he no shame? (The answer is probably not, though you can’t deny that a degree of courage was needed to attend, knowing the world’s media would be watching.)
Stephen Bates is an author and former religious affairs and royal correspondent of the Guardian
