Prince Harry's Call For Queen to Be ‘Protected' Reportedly Sparked by Prince Andrew Memorial Escort

Prince Charles, along with other people in Buckingham Palace, had been reportedly seething over Prince Harry's “breathtaking arrogance” by suggesting during his intervied with an NBC journalist that his grandmother, the Queen, who turned 96 on 21 April, needed extra protection.

Prince Harry's remark that he was making sure his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II is “protected” may have been prompted by seeing Prince Andrew escort the 96-year old monarch to Prince Philip's memorial, according to the Mirror.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth, accompanied by Prince Andrew, Duke of York, attends a service of thanksgiving for late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey in London, Britain, March 29, 2022

© REUTERS / Richard Pohle/Pool

“Those images of Prince Andrew escorting the Queen to Westminster Abbey may have upset Harry, which is now believed to be one of the reasons he made such an astonishing remark,” a Buckingham Palace source cited as saying.

The 37-year old Duke of Sussex had reportedly triggered ire after opening up in an interview with US TV host Hoda Kotb from the Invictus Games in The Hague on the first reunion with the monarch that he and his wife, Meghan Markle, had had since stepping down as royals.

"She's always got a great sense of humour with me and I'm just making sure that she's protected and got the right people around her. Both Meghan and I had tea with her, so it was really nice to catch up with her. We have a really special relationship, we talk about things that she can't talk about with anybody else," Harry said, among other things.

However, some royal insiders suggested the remark might have been a dig at his father, Prince Charles, and brother, Prince William. Royal staffers were cited by the Daily Mail as saying Prince Harry's self-delusion knew "no bounds".

"I have no idea what intention he may or may not have had in saying this, but Harry needs to start thinking before he opens his mouth," a source within the Buckingham Palace was quoted as saying, adding:

"It is the Queen's birthday and despite a difficult year people are working full steam ahead on making her Platinum Jubilee an event to remember that properly honours such a remarkable woman. She just doesn't deserve this."

Now, however, it is suggested that the veiled hint was aimed at Prince Andrew.

“Harry is familiar with the Queen's aides and there is no animosity at all. The Palace were aware he might do an interview, but no one was expecting those sorts of comments,” said the palace source, adding the Duke of Sussex appeared to imply he was concerned for the Queen's safety due to her closeness to embattled Prince Andrew.

As the British royal family gathered at Westminster Abbey on 29 March to pay their respects to the Queen Elizabeth II’s late husband, Prince Philip, some of them were reportedly “dismayed” at how Prince Andrew had placed himself “front and centre” at the memorial service, reported the Daily Mail last month.

When the 95-year-old British monarch made her entrance, it was on the arm of her second son, who was making his first public appearance since striking an out-of-court settlement with his sex assault accuser, Virginia Giuffre.

Giuffre had accused him of sexually abusing her on three separate occasions, including when she was 17, with the Duke of York repeatedly denying the accusations.

Prince Andrew had escorted his mother to her front-row position, with the move reportedly causing “consternation” among many senior royals, including Charles, Prince of Wales.

Royals had purportedly “reluctantly” resigned themselves to the fact that the Duke of York would accompany the Queen from Windsor Castle to the Service of Thanksgiving for Prince Philip’s life in London. But they had ostensibly hoped that “common sense” would stop the prince from trying to take on a more prominent role at the service, according to insiders.

The Duke of York, mired in scandal due to his friendship with the late pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, had been trying to keep a low profile, claimed the report, with palace officials engaged in an effort to deflect Prince Harry's comments away from him.

While Prince Andrew had been forced to step back from royal duties in November 2019 over his association with the convicted sex offender and stripped of his military roles and royal patronages, the Queen is said to have been more forgiving.