Did William issue a 'secret scolding' to Andrew? Moment he 'appeared to reprimand uncle' at Duchess of Kent's funeral - before 'urging his dad to cut the Yorks loose'.
Prince William's embarrassment at standing next to Prince Andrew may have led to the future King warning his uncle to stop laughing outside the Duchess of Kent's funeral, it was claimed today.
The Prince of Wales covered his mouth and appeared to say something out of the corner of his mouth to the Duke of York who abruptly stopped grinning at his nephew.
It came amid claims Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson have already been told they are not welcome at the Royal Family's Christmas celebrations - and must make themselves 'invisible' at future royal gatherings - amid a fresh scandal involving paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
It's understood King Charles, 76, wants to keep the Duke and Duchess of York, both 65, at arm's length after the Mail on Sunday exposed how Fergie wrote to Epstein to apologise for publicly disowning the vile billionaire, calling him her 'supreme friend'.
In video from outside Westminster Cathedral, Prince William appeared to be warning Andrew his laughter at such a solemn occasion was 'not a good look', a source has claimed, adding he hid his lips to avoid anyone but Andrew knowing what he said.
In the extraordinary exchange, William looks deeply uncomfortable and appears to shut down any chat with Andrew, who licks his lips and looks awkward.
A royal insider told the 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'.
The source added: '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'.
A royal source told the Mail last week that William views the Duke and Duchess of York as a 'pair of chancers' and is urging his father to cut them both loose because of the Epstein scandal. But the King is less keen because he values their loyalty.
The Duke of York appeared to be visibly shunned by the Royal Family as they gathered on the steps of Westminster Cathedral after the Requiem Mass service on Tuesday, September 16.
Andrew could be seen trying to jovially engage with his nephew in conversation, shortly after the Duchess of Kent's coffin was carried into the state hearse.
He appears to reminisce with the Prince of Wales about a previous time they spent together, telling him 'we had a lovely time didn’t we then,' according to a lip reader.
But William makes no reply, simply glancing at his uncle before studiously looking forward, thin-lipped, rubbing his nose and rocking on his heels.
After a quick smirk and an awkward pause, the Duke attempts to continue the conversation. 'And spending time with us,' he adds, to which Wiliam does not respond, instead simply nodding his head in silence.
The seemingly icy encounter came amid ongoing revelations linked to the Duke's relationship with the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, six years after the scandal saw Andrew stand down from public duties.
Historian Andrew Lownie's forensic biography of Andrew, called Entitled, also caused shockwaves within the Royal Family - with some passages having to be removed for legal reasons, which the author said were enough to bring down the monarchy.
At one point Andrew's ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York leant forwards to speak to William, who turned briefly to talk to her, as did his wife Kate.
But it was clear the couple were far from keen to prolong the conversation, aside from pleasantries.
Indeed, for much of the time, the heir to the throne, jaw clenched, appeared decidedly uncomfortable.
The Waleses made a notably quick exit after the King had got into the State Bentley, but not before His Majesty appeared to offer a few warm words to his daughter-in-law, who smiled and walked over, before kissing him on each cheek and curtsying.
As the King drove off, the Duchess of York was seen waving somewhat over-enthusiastically at his car, before also dropping a neat bob.
Prince Andrew, meanwhile, exchanged some words with his sister, Princess Anne, thanked staff and headed off towards his car.
According to the lip reader, the Princess Royal told her brother, 'Let's walk this way'.
Andrew later turned to Anne and said, 'Shall [we] go that way and we can leave there?' He later questioned, 'Where is she? Oh, over there, is she coming?'
The Duke and his ex-wife, who live together at Royal Lodge in Windsor despite divorcing in 1996, have also been told to make themselves 'invisible' at future royal gatherings, insiders claim.
It comes after Charles asked the Duchess of York to help convince Andrew to 'do the decent thing' and avoid the Royal Family's Christmas gathering last year after it emerged the Duke had become close with alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo.
The Yorks spent last Christmas together at Royal Lodge instead, but they were not joined by their daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
A source close to the King told The Sunday Times: 'You can't sack someone from being your brother.
'But this year, if the duke and duchess were both to be as honourable [as last year], it would be very much for the best and the family would not be disappointed, not least to avoid the King having to make any more difficult decisions.'
It follows several charities dropping the Duchess in the wake of the Mail's exposé last week, which laid bare how she cynically lied when she pledged to cut ties with Epstein.
Just weeks after publicly disowning him, she then wrote him a gushing private message calling him a 'steadfast, generous and supreme friend' and admitting she only distanced herself from him to save her own reputation.
The Duchess 'humbly apologised' to the convicted sex offender for letting him down, and said she had been told to speak out if she wanted to save her career as a children's author.
She sent the grovelling message 'from the truth of my heart', less than two months after telling journalists: 'I will never have anything to do with [Epstein] again.'
The Duchess's friends say she was 'devastated for any embarrassment' caused by the latest scandal and 'will explain herself to the wider Royal Family in due course'.
Sources close to the King have told The Sunday Times that the monarch would prefer if Andrew and Fergie keep out of sight when appearing at family events by arriving and leaving through discreet entrances where possible.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
Earlier this month, the Yorks very much made their presence known at the Duchess of Kent's funeral at Westminster Cathedral.
After the emotional service, Andrew was seen howling with laughter and trying to speak to Prince William, who appeared to ignore his disgraced uncle.
The Prince of Wales is understood to consider his uncle a 'risk' and 'threat' to the monarch and is said to fully support his father's stance.
Charles and William are thought to have spoken about the latest scandal during their weekend together in Scotland.
A source said the King is 'not of the mind to banish someone', but would hope the Yorks can 'find a more discreet way of attending these events'.
'In the Duke of York's case, he seems to relish the prospect of not being low-key about it,' they added.
Fergie had recently made a return to the royal fold after bouncing back from several embarrassments over the years - including being photographed having her toes sucked by US financial adviser Johnny Bryant as well as being caught in a sting offering access to her ex-husband for an alleged £500,000.
But she was invited to join the Royal Family's Christmas gatherings in 2022 and 2023, her first invitations for three decades. She also joined the family's traditional walk from Sandringham house to church alongside Andrew, Beatrice and Eugenie in 2023.
Andrew stepped down as a working royal over the scandal involving his friendship with Epstein in 2019. It followed a disastrous Newsnight interview about his relationship with Epstein and questions over his relationship with Virginia Giuffre who claimed she was sexually assaulted by the Duke three times when she was 17.
Andrew, who always denied the allegations, agreed an out-of-court settlement with Ms Giuffre, believed to be worth around £12million. Ms Giuffre, who claimed she was trafficked by Epstein, took her own life in April aged 41.
Tags: Queen, Prince Charles, Camilla, Prince Louis, Prince William and Kate Middleton, Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Meghan, Lilibet
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