Prince Andrew made a rare and contentious return to the royal spotlight this week, appearing alongside Prince William at the funeral of the Duchess of Kent in London, where a lip reader says their brief exchange left the Prince of Wales visibly irritated.
The Duke of York, 65, attended the Sept. 16 Catholic requiem mass at Westminster Cathedral with his former wife, Sarah Ferguson, in what marked one of his few public appearances since being stripped of royal duties in 2022. The ceremony drew King Charles III, Princess Anne, Princess Kate, and other senior royals to honor Katharine Worsley, the Duchess of Kent, who died earlier this month at age 92.
Footage of the service captured Andrew smiling and attempting to chat with his nephew after the mass, behavior that observers described as at odds with the otherwise solemn tone of the occasion. Video clips widely shared on social media show Prince William not engaging with his uncle's overtures.
According to lip reader Jeremy Freeman, Andrew remarked to William, "...we had a lovely time in those days, didn't we... I remember those days." Royal biographer Andrew Lownie told the Mirror that the prince was "furious" at being cornered during the event. "He has been at pains to distance himself from his uncle and not be photographed with him," Lownie said, adding that William believes Andrew and Ferguson "have done much to undermine the good work of other members of the royal family."
Another lip reader, Jacqui Press, told the Daily Mail that the interaction seemed tense and limited to superficial remarks such as "Aren't we lucky with the weather today" and "It was a beautiful service." Press said Andrew also briefly spoke with Princess Anne before leaving.
The rare public sighting comes three years after Andrew was ousted as a senior royal amid fallout from his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre, who accused Andrew of sexually abusing her as a teenager. The case was settled in 2022 with an undisclosed payment and what court filings described as a "substantial donation" to Giuffre's charity.
Since then, Andrew has largely retreated from public life, appearing only at family events, including the funerals of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. His attendance at Tuesday's ceremony drew mixed reactions from royal watchers, some of whom questioned the wisdom of his return to such a highly visible setting.
