Prince Andrew Shunned By Royal Family During First Appearance By Queen Elizabeth's Side After Settling Lawsuit
Although Prince Andrew was recently seen for the first time with Queen Elizabeth since his sexual assault lawsuit settlement with accuser Virginia Giuffre, the Duke of York reportedly did not receive a warm welcome from the rest of the royal family.
According to Daily Mail, the 62-year-old prince escorted the Queen to Prince Philip’s memorial on Tuesday, and despite only attending the Thanksgiving of Life service for a short duration, it was reportedly enough time to be “shunned” by the rest of the royals in attendance.
“Andrew did not get the same sort of welcome from the other royals,” body language expert Judi James explained to the outlet while comparing the Queen’s treatment towards her son to that of the rest of the family.
“Only his mother threw him anything bordering on a ‘welcome back’ smile and, rather than throw him subtle tie-signs of support or encouragement, most of the royals seemed to attempt to act as though they hadn't even seen him,” she continued.
“Taking his place next to Edward he cut an isolated but defiant-looking figure, but there were no glances or even nods of greeting and no discernible eye contact. The eye-avoidance looked deliberate, with most of the Firm staring pointedly ahead as though barely even aware of him.”
Besides the Queen and Prince Andrew, there were reportedly 46 other senior royals at Prince Philip’s service Tuesday. The only two senior royals not in attendance were Prince Harry and his wife, Megan Markle.
Despite Queen Elizabeth having three other children she could have chosen to escort her to Philip’s Thanksgiving of Life, some believe she specifically chose the Duke of York to show the United Kingdom and the world that in light of his recent sexual assault lawsuit and settlement, her relationship with Andrew is “non-negotiable.”
“The message from the Queen about her Prodigal son Andrew looked unequivocal today,” Judi James continued, focusing specifically on the body language of Elizabeth and her embattled son. “As her eldest son, Charles is fond of saying, this is now clearly a ‘non-negotiable’ relationship.”
“Not only did she choose her second son to accompany and support her as she walked into the Abbey, making this the first time she has been seen in public accepting assistance from anyone, she also paused before they parted to take their seats and threw him a smile of thanks in front of UK and foreign royalty as well as the eyes of the rest of the world.”
This is Andrew’s first formal appearance with the Queen since settling a sexual assault lawsuit with Giuffre for an estimated $10-$16 million on February 15.
Before settling the lawsuit, a judge ordered the Duke of York to face his sexual assault accuser in a United States court in connection to Giuffre’s allegations claiming she was forced to have sex with the prince numerous times when she was still a teenager.