Prince William appeared to issue a ‘secret scolding” to his disgraced uncle Prince Andrew during a sombre royal event earlier this month. Following her death on September 4, the royals gathered in London for the Duchess of Kent’s funeral on September 16.
Stepping out alongside his royal relatives, Andrew – who has made very few public appearances since stepping down as a senior working royal in 2019 – was seen, what appeared to be, trying to engage in conversation with his nephew as they joined outside of Westminster Cathedral. William did “not want to be seen chatting to his uncle”, according to one expert.
A source has now claimed that William appeared to be warning Andrew that his laughter at such a solemn occasion was “not a good look”.
A royal insider told the Daily Mail: “William is deliberately speaking behind his hand so you can’t see what he is saying. William was clearly aware that the cameras were on them and felt uncomfortable’.
“He [William] is pretty media savvy and would have known it might not be a good look [by Andrew] and also did not want to be seen chatting to his uncle”.
In the video of William and Andrew outside of the Cathedral, a lip reader has said that the Duke of York appears to say to his nephew, “we had a lovely time didn’t we then”.
William appears to ignore the comment, simply glancing at his uncle before looking forward, rubbing his nose and rocking on his heels.
Andrew then adds, “And spending time with us”, to which William simply nods.
Andrew was forced to step down from royal duties in 2019 after his friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein came to light. Sarah Ferguson, who is Andrew’s ex-wife, has also come under fire following new revelations about an email that she had sent to Epstein in 2011.
Speaking about Andrew and Sarah, a source revealed last week that William sees them as a “pair of chancers” and is reportedly been urging his father to cut them off.