The Queen believes Prince Andrew is innocent and is making her own decisions on the matter, according to a royal expert.
While Her Majesty has been scaling back on her public appearances after a few bouts of poor health, she was recently accompanied by the Duke of York at a memorial for her late husband Prince Philip.
The move was seen as a way of confirming Prince Andrew still plays an integral part in family life.
It comes after Andrew paid off his sexual assault accuser Virgin Giuffre with a reported £12million just three weeks ago. He has always denied the allegations made by Ms Giuffre and denied ever meeting her.
The two heirs to the throne Charles and William were said to have been “shocked” and dismayed” as Andrew emerged front and centre.
However, Vanity Fair's Royal Editor Katie Nicholl said the Queen deliberately chose to have Andrew play such a prominent role on the day and shows the public she still 'makes the decisions'.
Katie Nicholl said: "This was the Queen's way of showing two things; one, that the buck stops with her, and she makes the decisions, and secondly that she believes he's innocent. She made the point very, very clearly.
"But Charles and William were very aware of the perspective, of the optics of this.
"Unfortunately, this picture [of Prince Andrew escorting the Queen] has overtaken what should have been a memorial to a great man."
Andrew has spent a considerable amount of time with the ailing 95-year-old monarch, who has suffered from a series of health problems in recent months as well as recovering from Covid.
The Duke of York, who lives on the Windsor estate, has also been ever present at his mother’s Windsor Castle home after the death of her beloved husband Prince Philip, who died last April aged 99.
It is believed he still holds ambitions of staging an unlikely return to front line royal duties, despite being banished being stripped of all his royal titles over Ms Giuffre's allegations that he sexually assaulted her in 2001, when she was a 17-year-old former sex slave of his paedophile pal Jeffrey Epstein..
Andrew has always strenuously denied all allegations against him.
