Prince Andrew must go to his father's memorial service

Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, has had a torrid time for so long that he has become the royal bete noir for every newspaper in the land. He has brought much of it on himself and the announcement that he has come to an out-of-court settlement with the woman who accused him of forcing her to have sex when she was 17 has made his personal situation immeasurably worse. There is little doubt that he and his lawyers agreed to the settlement worth, it is claimed, £12 million partly because of a desperate wish to resolve the matter and remove it from the courts at a time when the Queen is supposed to be celebrating the 70th platinum anniversary of her accession to the throne. Royal experts in the media are saying Andrew should now disappear from public life (I thought he had already) and that he should stay at home when the Queen attends the memorial service in honour of her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh. In my view this would be totally wrong and unduly cruel. Whatever one's feelings about the way he may or may not have behaved all those years ago, Andrew should be allowed to accompany the royal family to Westminster Abbey for the special memorial service on March 29. Prince Philip for heaven's sake was his father. Andrew has a right to be there. If people are worried that his presence will be a distraction at such an occasion, then the answer is simple. Keep the photographers' cameras and television cameras focused on the Queen, and leave Andrew well alone. I know it won't happen but I still believe Andrew should be with his family on that day.