Just note: I absolutely loathe threadjacking. I’m sure that many of you have already seen, linked to and discussed all of these stories and I get it, it’s a big story. But can you please ease up on the threadjacking in general? Thank you. As we discussed over the weekend, Prince Andrew’s BBC interview was one of the worst disasters I’ve ever seen in my life. He lied constantly, he came across as boorish, stupid and ensconced in royal privilege, and he showed zero empathy for the victims of rape, abuse and human trafficking, some of whom he almost certainly abused and raped himself. Here’s the interview again:

There are so many lies here. It’s interesting how many outlets are merely picking apart the “I never partied” lie – the Daily Mail and other sites have pulled out their old photos of Andrew partying is fat ass off in 2007. He also looked pretty sweaty, contradicting another stupid lie.

But really, the larger story is “can the royal family just retire Andrew and send him away?” I think they could retire him, but it would have to come from the Queen, and right now she’s not listening to one bad word about her favorite son. She went to church with Andrew yesterday and he told her all about how the interview was a great success:

Prince Andrew told the Queen today his disastrous BBC interview was “a great success”. Prince Andrew was “buoyant” as he attended church with his mum despite the furious backlash which has put his official role under threat and plunged the Royal Family into its biggest crisis in years. Astonishingly, the Duke of York believes he has now put to bed any criticism over his links to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to a close friend of the royal. In a show of support yesterday, the Queen stood by her “favourite son” as they attended church on the Windsor estate where they live.

His pal revealed last night: “The Duke went to church with the Queen and was heard telling her it’s all been a great success. He thinks he’s done the right thing and has put the criticism to rest. He was all smiles and was looking very buoyant and happy.”

The Queen arrived in a car while Andrew went separately to the Royal Chapel of All Saints. The pal went on: “As well as chatting, Andrew and the Queen also prayed together. He walked to the church so they weren’t pictured together.”

The royal’s pal said his aides do not “have the heart” to tell him how badly it has gone down. They went on: “He’s told his friends and advisers he is delighted because he thought he acquitted himself well. He’s cock-a-hoop. He seriously believes he’s pulled off a master triumph. It’s astonishing. No one has the heart to tell him that he’s delusional — and this is the overall problem. He’s surrounded by people who tell him what he wants to hear. Yesterday he was looking happier than he has been for months, totally unaware his interview had caused a firestorm of criticism.”

It is unknown if the Queen watched the BBC programme, though she is said to have been the only member of the Royal Family to have been told of it beforehand. Buckingham Palace last night said they will not comment on royals’ private time or confirm the Queen went to church with her son. But our source revealed: “The Queen is very much intending to stand by Andrew. The sad reality is that she’s got a blind spot when it comes to him, as her favourite son. It’s a bit like how Margaret Thatcher was with her son Mark. Andrew can’t do any wrong in the Queen’s eyes.”

We can reveal the Duke intends to return to work tomorrow for an official engagement, which sources have described as “madness”. Our insider explained: “He is planning to push ahead with his engagements and doesn’t want to duck out of anything.”

[From The Sun]

I… don’t have words. Talk about living in a bubble. Is it really that likely that the Queen’s advisors wouldn’t have told her how Andrew’s interview was poorly received? I know the royals don’t officially “read the papers” but they totally do and the headlines and analysis of the interview were everywhere, even in royal-supporting papers. Is the Queen that out of touch? Clearly, Andrew IS that out of touch. Oh well… if this is the end of the monarchy, then so be it.

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Screencaps courtesy of the BBC, additional photos courtesy of Getty.