Queen gave Andrew spotlight to 'remind people he has not admitted' to assault

Queen decision of giving Prince Andrew a prominent position at Prince Philip memorial is being analysed by royal experts.

BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt says Queen moves at the Westminster Abbey were purposely made to bring the Duke of York gracefully back to public life. 

He said: “It didn’t happen by chance.

“He could have sat in the congregation with others, with his relatives, but they actively decided that he would have this role of supporting her.

“So she has chosen, in essence, to remind people that he hasn’t admitted any wrongdoing, he’s not guilty of anything, he’s innocent.

“And she’s very clearly stating that he has a role at family occasions.”

Mr Hunt note how "fascinating" the monarch's decision is and notes that it is done to clarify the “many errors of judgment that have led him to being removed from public life”.

He said: “It’s one thing to accept that he should attend his father’s memorial service.

“It’s quite another thing to then give him quite a prominent role, so it was an active choice to give him such a prominent role.

He added: “Did William and Charles try to intervene? And clearly if they did then they failed.

“I think you have to start from the basis that Charles and William will have been in the driving seat with the Queen of removing Andrew from public life.

“Both of them will have been very aware of the risks of Andrew having this role. So either they decided that they could justify it on the basis that it was an event for his father, or they did try to suggest this wasn’t a good idea and the Queen chose not to listen to them.”