Palace accused of banning photos of the Queen arriving at Westminster Abbey... until Prince Andrew turned up

Queen Elizabeth was not meant to be photographed arriving at Westminster Abbey for her husband's memorial service until she had reached her seat under a strict order from Buckingham Palace, a photographer has claimed.

The palace had been trying to avoid images of Her Majesty looking frail and unsteady on her feet after suffering mobility issues.

But "everything" changed once the monarch walked into the Abbey on the arm of her son Prince Andrew, in a move that shocked the world and left members of the royal family "dismayed".

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The sole photographer chosen to capture the Service of Thanksgiving at the Abbey Richard Pohle says he was under strict instructions not to take any pictures of the Queen until she had reached her seat in the front pew.

"Only once she was seated, they said. Naturally, I balked at the order," Pohle writes in The Times.

However, he took issue with the rule considering the BBC was broadcasting the memorial live on television.

There had been fierce speculation about how the Queen would arrive at the Abbey amid rumours a wheelchair could be used, while other reports suggested privacy screens could be erected to shield her from the cameras.

The Queen's attendance at the event on Tuesday March 29 was confirmed just an hour prior to the memorial's start time due to concerns about her comfort and health.

Pohle says he tried arguing his case with the palace officials but they "stood firm, no pictures until she was seated".

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"And that's when the news filtered through to us: the Queen would be escorted to her seat by the Duke of York. This changed everything."

Early vision had started to come through showing the Queen's car on its way from Windsor Castle to London with the Queen travelling alongside Prince Andrew.

The service was the Duke of York's first public appearance since he settled a sex abuse case with accuser Virginia Giuffre.

His attendance had been confirmed days prior to the service but the duke was expected to walk to his seat with daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, and not with the Queen.

Pohle, who works for The Times, says "'I absolutely need to photograph this'... The arrival of the Queen was now the major news event.

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"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'.

Arguing he "would be in a hell of a lot of trouble if there was blanket TV coverage of the Queen openly showing support for Prince Andrew but no photographs", Pohle finally convinced one of the palace staff to make an urgent phone call.

"The press officer returned," he says. "'Okay", she said, 'you can photograph the arrival'. Phew."

He then "rushed past and crouched in the centre of the aisle" to get the shots of the monarch walking down the aisle with Prince Andrew and "got the picture".

"I knew it would be the main picture from the ceremony that the news outlets were looking for."

The Queen was meant to be escorted to the pews by the Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle.

Instead, the Queen used Prince Andrew's arm as support, and Prince Philip's walking stick in her other hand, with her son guiding her all the way to her seat.

He then took a seat in the front row, but was cut from much of the official broadcast and later left out of a social media tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh by the royal family.

Reports in the days after the service suggested Prince Charles and Andrew's other siblings didn't know he would stay by the Queen's side from the car to seat, that move leaving the royal family "dismayed".

"They didn't know until it happened. The plan changed," an insider told The Telegraph UK.