Palace refused photos taken of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Andrew at memorial

Prince Philip's memorial at Westminster Abbey on March 29 was televised live so it was only natural for people to see Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Andrew walking side by side on their way inside. But a photographer claimed that Buckingham Palace had initially ordered not to have their photos taken during the service.

Staff photographer for The Times Richard Pohle was the only photographer inside during the service. Ahead of the ceremony, he was told by two press officers from the palace that he would not be able to photograph the Queen's entrance until he gets the go signal. He thought that "to an outsider, this may seem reasonable."

"'What's the problem,' you may ask, 'the Queen should have some privacy in her advanced age.' I agree, but when the BBC is broadcasting the entire event to the world I think I should be able to take a picture as the only official photographer," he said adding, "How would she arrive? There was some speculation that she might arrive using a buggy or even a wheelchair. If I had no picture of that I would have the entire British media asking why not."

But he "balked at the order" when he learned that Prince Andrew would be escorting his mother to her seat. It changed everything and for Pohle, it made him even more eager to take photos from Prince Philip's memorial, especially that of the Queen's entrance.

"I absolutely need to photograph this. The arrival of the Queen was now the major news event. I could see them wavering but they repeated that the no picture order 'came from the top' and that 'it wasn't up to them," he shared.

However, the photographer argued that he should be able to take still shots of Prince Philip's memorial since the BBC was filming it for broadcast. A press officer eventually called him and allowed him to take a photo of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Andrew's arrival.

Pohle remembered that he struggled to take a good shot because he was positioned across from where the royal family members were seated. The attendees stood when the pair arrived so he was unable to see them. As the choir stood up, he immediately moved to the aisle between the rows of seats opposite where the Queen would walk. He then rushed past a press officer who tried to hold him back and crouched in the centre of the aisle and clicked on his camera just as the clergy turned a corner. The photographer captured the image of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Andrew that quickly circulated online.