Duke of York 'Rejected' by Prince William in Latest Comeback as Expert Claims his Bid to Engage with Nephew Fell Flat at Royal Funeral
The Duke of York attempts to strike up a conversation with his nephew William at the Duchess of Kent's funeral ended in embarrassment.
Sept. 17 2025, Published 1:19 p.m. ET
Prince William "rejected" the Duke of York during an awkward reunion at a Royal funeral, claims a body language expert.
RadarOnline.com can reveal Judi James believes the Prince of Wales, 43, had barely any "desire" to contribute towards a conversation between the pair, while his uncle, 65, desperately tried to interact with him.
Awkward Reunion
Andrew and William's exchange was captured on camera.
The pair was attending the private memorial for the Duchess of Kent, a rare outing for disgraced royal Andrew.
Speaking about the exchange, James said: "The Duke of York tries to engage his nephew in a good-humoured chat and all William's non-verbal responses suggest awkwardness and a subliminal desire to reject the overtures, making this look like a very frosty transaction.
"Andrew turns his head fully towards William to not only get his attention but seeming to want to coax a mirrored response that shows he has his attention, too.
"When he turns his face to the front he is wearing a smug-looking smile and he even turns back as though trying to gain a mirrored response from William."
Blanked By William
William is less than impressed about what his uncle had to say.
James explained that the Prince of Wales uses a series of body language signals to suggest a lack of desire to communicate with his uncle.
"Firstly he barely inclines his head in Andrew's direction and then he seems to avoid eye contact, looking down or away," she said.
"There is the very exaggerated and prolonged rubbing of his nose with his fist to form a barrier to his mouth with this 'act of distraction"'.
"Lastly there is a rising up then banging down onto his heels, which will often signal 'subject closed'.
"William is at some pains to appear polite despite potentially feeling compromised here, but he is clearly made uncomfortable and is perhaps relieved when he can return to the more solemn facial expression of mourning."
Back In The Fold
Andrew was all smiles during his rare royal outing.
Meanwhile, separate footage shows Andrew sharing a joke with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson at the funeral.
Andrew stepped down as a working royal over the scandal involving his friendship with pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, but he still attends private family events.
King Charles, William, Kate, Andrew and Princess Anne were also among those paying tribute at the Catholic service at Westminster Cathedral.
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King Charles was supported by both William and Kate Middleton in Queen Camilla's absencee.
Buckingham Palace announced just two hours before the private family service began that Queen Camilla had pulled out as she recovers from acute sinusitis.
Last year, Camilla was forced to pull out of a number of engagements after suffering a chest infection, while Charles, 76, himself is still undergoing treatment for cancer, meaning his workload has to be carefully managed.
The Duchess of Kent was the oldest member of the Royal Family when she died earlier this month at the age of 92.
She was married to Edward, the first cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II, and the couple had been married for 64 years.
