Heated hecklers, a problematic prince, and one
hell of a scandal. Amid a national tragedy, one royal is sowing chaos in the Kingdom!
While members of the British public continue to mourn Queen Elizabeth ahead of her funeral,
the focus has slowly started shifting to the royal
family members tasked with preserving the monarchy. As they honor the queen's legacy,
the royals have faced a firestorm of negative press. There was a public outcry after
a citizen who heckled Prince Andrew during the queen's funeral procession was arrested.
As reported by The Guardian, the heckler called Andrew a "sick old man." Video showed
the man being tackled by other onlookers in the crowd that had gathered to pay their respects.
"Andrew! You're a sick, old man!"
Following this event, one Twitter user wrote:
"How can members of the public attack the heckler
and then the police ignore the attackers and arrest the heckler?"
Andrew's public presence has renewed focus on his association with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and
the allegations that the Duke of York sexually abused Virginia Giuffre when she was underage.
"In a statement, Virginia Giuffre claims she was trafficked to the
prince by the convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein when she was 17."
Giuffre filed a civil lawsuit that was settled out of court,
with The Telegraph reporting that the queen was going to use her personal
funds to help her son pay the $16 million that Giuffre was awarded.
In addition to feeling that Andrew's actions were far more serious than his heckler's,
members of the public have also been critical of the duke being allowed to remain in a role
that could see him assuming the duties of the new king himself.
According to The National, Prince Andrew has been a counsellor of state since 1981,
and he's not losing the title as his brother, King Charles III,
assumes the throne. The role Andrew is in empowers him to take on a king or queen's official duties,
if the monarch is incapacitated, unavailable, or otherwise unable to do so.
Andrew shares the position with other members of the royal family, whose worthiness to fill
the new king's shoes is determined by marriage and the line of succession. The other counsellors of
state are Queen Consort Camilla Parker Bowles, Prince William, Prince Harry, and the Duke of
York's daughter, Princess Beatrice, who was promoted to the role upon the queen's death.
Learning that Andrew will continue to hold this important position did not go over
so well with some Twitter users. One tweet, which summed up many users' opinions, read:
"Prince Andrew has been given the role of stepping in for King Charles if he ever becomes sick or
leaves the country, meaning he is essentially deputy king. This is grotesque, isn't it?"
Amid his legal battle over alleged sex offenses, Buckingham Palace announced that Prince Andrew
was being stripped of his military titles and his right to use the "His Royal Highness" honorific
in an official capacity. Queen Elizabeth approved this particular royal downgrade, but King Charles
reportedly cannot similarly remove Andrew from his counsellor of state role. Palace officials
told BuzzFeed News that Parliament, not the king, has the power to change who can hold the position
through legislation. So in this particular case, the anger some may have at Charles is misplaced.
While he may possess the ability to assume the king's royal duties,
an insider told The Daily Beast that the Duke of York plans on pulling a vanishing act
after his mother's funeral. However, a source with ties to the royal family
suggested that the damage has already been done. The source explained:
"Including him in the events of this week is a mistake. This is not a family
funeral. It is a state affair. She may be his mother — but she's everyone's queen."
And the controversy about Andrew's inclusion is far from over — what
he will be wearing at his mother's lying-in-state is also causing outrage.
According to People, Prince Andrew has been granted the privilege of wearing his
military regalia for the queen's final vigil in Westminster Hall,
despite having his military titles stripped. Meanwhile, Prince Harry — who served in
Afghanistan — is not being offered the option to do the same. Per royal reporter Omid Scobie,
a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex released a statement saying,
"[Prince Harry] will wear a morning suit throughout events honouring his
grandmother. His decade of military service is not determined by the uniform he wears and we
respectfully ask that focus remain on the life and legacy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II."
Even media personality Piers Morgan, who is no fan of Harry and Meghan Markle, has blasted King
Charles for seeming to make an exception for his disgraced brother but not his son.
In a piece for The Sun, Morgan predicted that many members of the British public will also
have a major problem with the move, and they are already voicing their opinions on the matter.
One critic tweeted:
"Hmmm. Prince Andrew will be in uniform but Prince Harry will not be.
That tells you a great deal about the value system there."
Ultimately, Mirror reported that Prince Andrew opted not to wear his military
uniform to the service, perhaps in an effort to nip the controversy in the bud.