Prince Andrew's inclusion at his father's memorial is a reminder that Queen Elizabeth puts family first

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Andrew arrive for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey in London. Photo / AP

When he was alive, the Duke of Edinburgh was fond of reminding people that the royal family is first and foremost a family - facing the same trials and tribulations as anybody else. "We are not a secret society!" he once railed.

So when it came to giving thanks for Prince Philip's life at Westminster Abbey yesterday, it should perhaps have come as no surprise that family came first - with the exception of the Duke of Sussex, who was conspicuous by his absence.

Onlookers were surprised - if not shocked - to see the Duke of York controversially playing such a central role in the 40-minute ceremony.

Prince Andrew had been expected to completely disappear from public life after paying his sex abuse accuser Virginia Giuffre a reported £12 million ($22.6m) last month, despite protesting his innocence.

Queen Elizabeth II holds Prince Andrew's hand, as they arrive for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip. The Queen had said Andrew will be released from Royal duties. Photo / AP

Giuffre, formerly Roberts, alleged she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew after being trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein, his paedophile friend.

The palace had been trying to distance the 95-year-old monarch from the Duke, 62, after the out-of-court settlement - but it seems a newly freelancing Andrew had other plans.

Yet as well as accompanying his mother on the 37km drive from Windsor Castle to London for the 11.30am service, the exiled royal also took a front-row seat inside the abbey, beside his brother Prince Edward, and escorted the Queen when the event ended.

Although prominent in the pews, the Duke was conveniently out of camera shot, and later omitted from any official social media posts.

The order of service had suggested he would walk to his seat with his daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and their husbands, who were seated on the second row behind the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George, 8, and Princess Charlotte, 6.

But instead he escorted his mother all the way from the Poets' Yard entrance, where her state limousine had delivered her as close as possible to the proceedings, to her seat next to Prince Charles.

Prince Andrew had been expected to completely disappear from public life after paying his sex abuse accuser Virginia Giuffre a reported £12 million, despite protesting his innocence. Photo / AP

The Queen, whose mobility issues meant the palace could only confirm her attendance at the last minute, held Andrew's elbow with her left hand and had a walking stick in her right.

It had been suggested that they travelled together for convenience - since the Duke lives at Royal Lodge, just 4.8km from Windsor Castle, where he is a regular visitor.

But this was also a display of a mother's love for her second - and some say "favourite" - son - as well as being an opportunity for the Duke to restore his reputation in the guise of helpful "plus one".

As Prince Philip's biographer Gyles Brandreth pointed out on ITV's This Morning: "Thinking about the Queen today coming with the Duke of York, remember that her father was the Duke of York when she was born and Prince Andrew is named after Prince Philip's father, Prince Andrew of Greece - so this is a family occasion celebrating the extraordinary life of a public man."

According to a source close to the Duke: "As the Queen herself has often said: sometimes people need to remember I have four children. We are a family." Asked if this meant Prince Andrew would make another appearance at a series of events to mark the Platinum Jubilee this summer, the friend added: "Doubtful but too early to say".

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Andrew arrive for a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey in London. Photo / AP

The palace is unlikely to look kindly on the suggestion, as evidenced by the fact Andrew was carefully kept out of camera view and omitted from any official social media posts.

The consensus among courtiers appears to be that the Duke should never appear at another royal occasion. Yet when it comes to The Firm, blood has always been thicker than water.

As one royal watcher remarked: "Given that nothing happens by accident when it comes to the royal family, the Duke of York's supporting role allowed him to slip in and out of the abbey by the side door and send a thinly disguised message that as far as the Queen is concerned he still has a role to play."

The lack of uniforms worn by the royal family was taken as another sign of the Queen's support for Andrew, who would have sparked a media storm had he dressed as a Vice Admiral after being stripped of all his royal and military associations in January.

Since Charles and William had been the driving force behind that move, it was unclear whether they justified the risks of Andrew's attendance on the basis it was a family affair - or raised concerns that were overruled by HM. A source close to William suggested he was keen for the focus to remain solely on his grandfather.

An event attended by 1800 people including foreign royalty and the Prime Minister can never be private - but the very personal nature of such a public commemoration hit home when Beatrice, 33, started sobbing upon seeing her grandmother and father, arm in arm, covering her tearful face with her order of service.

In days gone by, Prince Harry would have been the first to wrap a comforting arm around his cousin - but he was not present amid an ongoing row with the Home Office over his taxpayer-funded security.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex may well have thought they dodged a bullet by avoiding an appearance alongside Andrew, who is even more unpopular in the US than he is in Britain.

Yet the presence of great-grandchildren, also including Peter Phillips' daughters Savannah, 11, and Isla, 10, along with their cousin, Zara Tindall's eldest daughter Mia, 8, only served as a reminder that the Queen has not seen Harry and Meghan's 2-year-old son Archie since November 2019 and has never met their 9-month-old daughter, Lilibet.

Whether the Sussexes will appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony come June is anyone's guess. As the Duke of Edinburgh, who was separated from his parents as a child, knew better than most: families are complicated things.