Home Australia AMANDA PLATELL: How did the royals allow Prince Andrew to return to the fold so publicly? All of this contributes to the perception that things are falling apart.

AMANDA PLATELL: How did the royals allow Prince Andrew to return to the fold so publicly? All of this contributes to the perception that things are falling apart.

0 comments
A triumphant Prince Andrew led the royal party at the Thanksgiving service in honor of King Constantine in Windsor, with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson there with him.

What a horrible and shameful image! What a royal rabble they were, led by a disgraced Prince Andrew walking ahead of the others with his ex-wife Fergie a few steps behind him.

He grins from ear to ear like the cat that got the cream, as if to say, “I told you I’d be back, front of stage, resuming my rightful position as the Queen’s favorite son.”

Why did the Royal Family allow this image to be broadcast to the world? How could Andrew, whose friendship with the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein so discredited the monarchy, have managed to return to the royal fold?

This was the scene before a solemn Thanksgiving service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor for the life of former King Constantine of Greece, who died last year at the age of 82. A service that brought together the largest gathering of European royals since the late Queen’s funeral in September. 2022.

There was no occasion to laugh and joke, as Andrew did as he led the royal company to the chapel.

A triumphant Prince Andrew led the royal party at the Thanksgiving service in honor of King Constantine in Windsor, with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson there with him.

A triumphant Prince Andrew led the royal party at the Thanksgiving service in honor of King Constantine in Windsor, with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson there with him.

Prince Andrew smiled from ear to ear, as if to say: Did I tell you I would be back there, in front of the stage?

Prince Andrew smiled from ear to ear, as if to say: Did I tell you I would be back there, in front of the stage?

Prince Andrew smiled from ear to ear, as if to say: “That’s where I told you I’d be back, at the front of the stage.”

The only royal working on the picture is Princess Anne, who can’t be blamed for the hours she puts in and who lately seems to be one of the few at the Firm keeping things afloat. Why was she relegated four rows back in the group, while Andrew held a place of honor?

Royal experts point out that the first person in the group is actually the least important and that the later you arrive at the service, the higher up you are. Which explains why Queen Camilla was the last to sit on the chapel pew.

Andrew with deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein in New York, 2011

Andrew with deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein in New York, 2011

Andrew with deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein in New York, 2011

But we are talking about perceptions. This was a picture of a shamelessly triumphant Prince Andrew leading the group, with Sarah Ferguson, who is no stranger to controversy, walking ahead of Anne.

That was Is the Palace thinking? Why didn’t Andrés enter the chapel through a side door? Why did no one among the army of courtiers and advisors have the common sense to see how this would turn out?

Palace staff were at pains to emphasize that Andrew was only present as a member of the Royal Family in a private capacity, as this was a family occasion.

What nonsense, they knew the service would have a large audience as there were television cameras inside and outside St George’s Chapel.

Perhaps, as eighth in line to the throne, Andrew thought he had the right to walk ahead of Anne, who languishes in 17th place.

But the fact that he is still in the line of succession is absurd and baffling even to those, like me, who love the Royal Family.

Which brings us to Andrew’s daughter, Princess Beatrice, famous for little more than her taste in hideous headdresses, who was also in the picture. She’s not a working royal, she’s another parasite. And yet, due to antiquated lineage laws, Bea is tenth in line to the throne.

Andrew is the first and only prince to have been effectively dismissed, stripped of all his military roles and public functions. But for years, he has been unashamedly pushing for a return to royal duties. So much so that in the summer of 2022, the late Queen had to tell him to “stay out of sight” for her “own good.”

It is not surprising that this was the case, given the repercussions of his appearance in St. George’s Chapel. Whether it was a public or private ceremony, whether I was technically following the rules, I say to hell with royal protocol if the result is a PR car crash like this.

Princess Beatrice (pictured with her husband Edoardo arriving at the chapel), famous for her taste in hideous headdresses, was also in the photo despite not being a working royal.

Princess Beatrice (pictured with her husband Edoardo arriving at the chapel), famous for her taste in hideous headdresses, was also in the photo despite not being a working royal.

Princess Beatrice (pictured with her husband Edoardo arriving at the chapel), famous for her taste in hideous headdresses, was also in the photo despite not being a working royal.

These non-working royals just don’t get it, do they? As if the Andrew and Fergie parade wasn’t enough, we also had to endure that Prince Harry is still desperately clinging to his royal status despite rejecting his family and fleeing to California.

This week he lost his High Court appeal against the Home Office’s decision to downgrade his taxpayer-funded personal security in the UK. A self-exiled prince suing the British government! What a joke.

As much as it pains me to say it, Prince William, as heir, should have led the mourners to the chapel instead of Uncle Andy. He was due to deliver a reading at the service for his godfather, King Constantine, but he withdrew 45 minutes before the service citing a “personal matter.” There are no further explanations forthcoming.

It all leads to the perception that things are falling apart: I cannot imagine the late Queen ever withdrawing from a service at such short notice, no matter how pressing or desperate the personal circumstances may have been.

Remember how, two days before he died, aged 96, he met his new prime minister, Liz Truss, at Balmoral? Have modern royalty forgotten his saying: “Never complain, never explain” and always show up?

There is a positive side to all this. I never thought I’d say it as one of his harshest critics in the past, but thank God for Queen Camilla. She has taken charge magnificently, carrying out her royal duties with good humor while King Charles receives treatment for cancer. And to think she was once mocked as “the laziest woman in Britain”. How things have changed!

You may also like