He’s back: Prince Andrew arm-in arm with the Queen at Prince Philip’s service

Outcast Prince Andrew was arm in arm with the Queen at Prince Philip’s memorial, indicating he has his mother’s support to return to the royal fold.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Andrew arrive at Westminster Abbey for the service. Picture: AFP.

Outcast royal, Prince Andrew was given the honour of accompanying his mother The Queen to the memorial service of the Duke of Edinburgh on Tuesday.

In a clear signal that Andrew is back in the royal fold after a payout of up to $20 million to Perth based woman Virginia Giuffre to settle a civil case related to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the Queen allowed Andrew to escort her from Windsor Castle to Westminster Abbey in central London.

The 95-year-old monarch, who will turn 96 in weeks, entered the church from a private side entrance disappointing thousands of people outside who were hoping to glimpse her in her first public outing in nearly half a year. Despite a slew of recent cancellations, the Queen was determined to attend this most important personal tribute to her husband of 74 years. Prince Philip died aged 99, on April 9, 2021, at Windsor Castle after several months of ill health.

But the Queen has become increasingly immobile and she walked very slowly to her seat at the front of the church, being greeted by the Dean of Westminster, Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle.

Prince William and Catherine arrive with Prince George and Princess Charlotte. Picture: AFP.

Wearing a sombre green coat and hat, matching similar green outfits of her daughter-in-law the Duchess of Cornwall and her daughter Princess Anne, in honour of the Duke of Edinburgh’s official livery colour – Edinburgh Green – she sat on a special gold trimmed chair, next to Prince Charles.

Later she used a stick to speak to some of the special guests at the church as she walked arm in arm with Prince Andrew, indicating she considered the service to be a family affair. Andrew has been stripped of all his royal titles, and patronages including the His Royal Highness honorific in the wake of his ill advised friendship with Epstein.

The Queen was visibly moved during the service. Picture: AFP.

The thanksgiving service, at Westminster Abbey, where the Queen and Duke married in 1947, was attended by many of the Queen’s great grand children, including Prince George and Princess Charlotte and the children of Zara and Mike Tindall and Peter Phillips.

California-based Prince Harry, his wife Meghan and their children did not attend, claiming they face an unacceptable security risk without Scotland Yard protection. The Queen has never met Harry and Megan’s nine-month-old daughter Lilibet, after whom she is named. The non appearance has been considered a snub because Harry intends to visit the Netherlands next month to attend the Invictus Games.

Prince Anne and Camilla both wore green in honour of the Duke of Edinburgh’s livery. Picture: AFP.

European royals paying their respects to the Duke included the Netherlands‘ Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander and Princess Beatrix, Belgium’s Queen Mathilde and King Philippe, Monaco’s Prince Albert II, Spain’s Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, Sweden’s Queen Silvia and King Carl XVI, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Prince El Hassan bin Talal and Princess Sarvath El Hassan; Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes; Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece; Prince Philippos and Princess Nina of Greece; Margareta, Custodian of the Romanian Crown and Prince Radu of Romania; Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia, and Prince Kyril of Preslav.

The Duchess of Cambridge introduces Princess Charlotte to the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. Picture: AFP.

The thanksgiving service had been prepared because the Duke’s funeral, nearly a year ago, was drastically downsized because of the Covid pandemic.

The Dean of Windsor, Right Reverend David Connor, who also gave the address at Philip’s funeral said: “Through his passionate commitment, he drew others to himself in admiration and respect and, in the case of those who lived and worked most closely to him, genuine love.

“Unlike most of us, he was one of those rare people who remained true to, and guided by, what you might call ‘an inner spiritual compass’; a sense of being called to play a part in the making of a God-intended world.’’

The service paid tribute to the Duke‘s dedication to family, the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth and highlighted his work in creating opportunities for young people, environmental conservation and his respect for the Armed Forces.