The Prince and Princess of Wales were among several royals who attended the Duchess of Kent’s funeral earlier this week. Prince William and Princess Kate joined King Charles at Westminster Cathedral, London on Tuesday 16 September for the service, although Queen Camilla was unable to attend due to illness. However, Prince Andrew’s appearance came as a surprise to many with The Mirror claiming that the crowds “gasped” upon seeing him.
But it is Prince William’s reaction that royal fans have noted, as photos of the heir standing by his uncle have circulated online. In the images, William appears to be looking away from Andrew and avoiding engaging with him. According to The Daily Beast, a friend of William’s said the Prince was “furious” and felt “ambushed” by the positioning, claiming that the placement was a “disgrace”. The source also alleged that William has attempted to avoid photographs with the Duke of York for years, noting that the future King has made his feelings quite clear.
In recent months reports have surfaced suggesting that William’s disdain for his uncle started long before Prince Andrew’s controversial friendship with convicted pedophile, Jeffrey Epstein, came under scrutiny. Earlier this year, journalist Richard Kay claimed that William’s issue with Andrew dates back to the early days of his relationship with Catherine, Princess of Wales. According to Kay, Andrew was “unwelcoming” when Kate was introduced to the family.
But insiders claim that the royals have differed when it comes to Prince Andrew’s role and royal visibility. Following a sexual abuse lawsuit in 2022, which was eventually settled out of court, Prince Andrew was stripped of his military titles, patronages and HRH title, and is no longer a working royal. Although he has largely kept a low profile since, he attended the Easter Service earlier this year and remains living at the Royal Lodge in Windsor – another point of contention between him and William, per royal experts.
But William and Charles reportedly have conflicting approaches about how Andrew should function within the royal fold. While King Charles is said to have adopted the late Queen Elizabeth II’s motto of “never complain, never explain”, William could take a “ruthless” approach to Prince Andrew when he becomes King.
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In the wake of an explosive new biography about the Duke of York, royal historian Christopher Wilson told The Telegraph: “I think to a large extent Charles has adhered to that as a safe policy – the moment you start tearing the family apart, where does it stop? With William it will be a different approach – he has hard-nosed ideas about how the Royal family needs to appear in the frenzied social media world we now inhabit, and I think will be ruthless.”
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