Prince William has tense exchange with Prince Andrew at Duchess of Kent’s funeral

Prince Andrew and Prince William appeared to have a “very frosty” interaction following the Duchess of Kent’s funeral, a body language expert revealed.

King Charles is his country’s first monarch in four centuries to attend a Roman Catholic funeral when he joined members of his family for a requiem mass for the Duchess of Kent, the wife of a cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth.

The disgraced Duke of York attempted to engage in conversation with his nephew after they paid tribute to Katharine Kent during a service at Westminster Cathedral. Andrew was seen muttering to William, who declined to engage, responding only with a brief nod.

Body language expert Judi James told the Daily Mail that Prince William’s “non-verbal responses” suggested awkwardness and a subliminal desire to reject Prince Andrew’s overtures, making their exchange appear standoffish. She described Prince Andrew’s expression as a “smug-looking smile” while trying to coax a response.

Prince Andrew was seated prominently in the front row alongside other Royals, including King Charles and Princess Anne, for the private memorial held for the late Duchess, who died aged 92.

Ms James explained that Prince William’s body language indicated he was polite but clearly uncomfortable, with gestures like avoiding eye contact, rubbing his nose in a barrier-like manner, and signalling “subject closed” by shifting his weight.

Separate footage showed Prince Andrew sharing a joke and laughing with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, while Prince William appeared uneasy nearby.

Prince Andrew stepped down from royal duties years ago amid controversy but still attends private family events. The funeral was notable as the first Catholic royal funeral in modern British history and featured music and readings honouring the Duchess’s life of quiet service and kindness.

The duchess, Katharine Worsley, who joined the royal family when she married Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, in 1961, died on September 4, aged 92.

Best remembered for her close association with the Wimbledon tennis tournament, where from 1969 she helped to hand out the trophies, she was also known for converting to Roman Catholicism in 1994, becoming the first British royal to do so since King Charles II, who turned to the faith on his deathbed in 1685.

Thus, it was a break in tradition for King Charles, the Supreme Governor of the Protestant Church of England, to attend the funeral for the duchess at London’s Westminster Cathedral, where the service was conducted by Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the leader of Catholics in England and Wales.

Also present were the King’s son and heir, Prince William and his wife Princess Kate, although King Charles’ wife, Queen Camilla, had to pull out as she was recovering from acute sinusitis.

Princess Anne and her husband, Timothy Laurence, also attended, as did Prince Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah.

“The funeral will be of great historical significance,” Catherine Pepinster, former editor of the Catholic weekly review The Tablet, told the Sunday Times.

“This is a huge step forward in ecumenical relations.”

The duchess preferred to be known as Mrs Kent and dropped her HRH style, retreating from royal life to spend more than a decade secretly teaching music in a state primary school in Hull.

Following the funeral, the duchess’s coffin was to be taken to a burial ground at Frogmore on the royal estate surrounding Windsor Castle, which is preparing to host US President Donald Trump for a state visit from Wednesday.

King Charles has for many years stated that he wishes to protect all faiths, and he and his wife Camilla were among the last official visitors to see Pope Francis before his death in April.

Pope Leo XIV said he was saddened to learn of the duchess’s death in a message to the King, which was read out at the service.

- with PA and Reuters