Copyright dailymail
As the Royal Family sombrely gathered to mourn the life of the late Duchess of Kent, any indications of a Firm in crisis seemed to have been temporarily halted. Despite the growing angst surrounding Prince Andrew's relationship with the late Jeffrey Epstein, as the now former Duke and Duchess of York stood among the Royals on the steps of Westminster Cathedral, relations appeared cordial. Yet there were subtle cracks in this united front facade, notably in Princess Kate's seemingly frosty attitude towards Sarah Ferguson, also known as 'Fergie', following the private memorial service. Striking video footage captured as the Royals stood outside of the Cathedral showed Kate appearing to deliberately ignore Fergie by refusing to engage in any conversation, while also turning her head as she walked past. Indeed, according to body language expert Judi James, Kate's deliberate evasion showed her fulfilling her role as 'the Royal Firm's protective huntress' by seeking to 'ward off any unwanted attention and posing on behalf of her husband'. The funeral service, which took place on September 16, came just days before Fergie was sensationally revealed by the Mail on Sunday to have apologised to Epstein in 2011 for letting him down, describing the sex offender as her 'supreme friend'. Following the bombshell revelation, she was dropped as a patron from seven charities. The former Duchess later claimed she had sent the fawning email in a bid to protect Princess Beatrice and Eugenie after a 'chilling' phone call with Epstein. Then, on October 17, it was announced that Andrew was to give up his titles, including the Duke of York, meaning that Fergie, by extension, would also lose her royal title. And he could now be the first royal to be caught up in a criminal probe in more than 20 years, with Scotland Yard confirming it is 'actively' probing claims he asked an officer to dig up dirt on Virginia Giuffre. Yet even prior to such scandalous revelations, Kate seemed to have been already attempting to distance herself from Fergie, avoiding any eye contact or amicable small talk in spite of their physically close proximity. Explaining her mirroring of Prince William and acute perception of Fergie's presence, Ms James told The Mail: 'Her peripheral vision sees at first to be aware and wary of Fergie who is moving around behind and beside her. 'Her closed hand and her unsmiling expression signal no desire to engage or talk here, just keep the ex Royal in sight'. In contrast to Kate, who seems to be serving as a 'protective shield' for her husband while also working to appease any pre-existing conflict, Ms James described Andrew and Fergie as 'the body language basking sharks of royal family events'. 'They appear to take advantage of family outings to position themselves with what will always look like an opportunistic eye', Ms James adds. She explains that while prior to the late Queen's death Fergie would often 'keep to the chorus line' and simply 'weave around furtively behind the other royals', in recent years she has grown in confidence and is happy to engage in conversation with 'anyone whose eye she can catch'. Meanwhile, Kate's attitude and approach when engaging with Royals engulfed by scandal also seems to have shifted in the aftermath of the death of the late Monarch. 'While the late Queen was alive Kate appeared to take a philosophical and often passive approach, trying to create some denial poses with people like Meghan for the sake of royal continuity. 'We saw the newer, firmer version of Kate during the Windsor Walkabout after the Queen's death, when she clearly distanced herself from Harry and Meghan despite the fact that William looked under pressure to be polite and amicable', Ms James explains. Indeed, video footage captured at the notorious 40-minute 'Fab Four' reunion showed Kate's seeming inability to simply cast her feelings aside, with Ms James noting that the Princess was 'walking apart from the others' and that she had gone into 'self-preservation mode'. According to royal expert Robert Jobson, writing in his book 'Our King', Kate later admitted to a senior royal that the event had been 'one of the hardest things she'd ever had to do', perhaps helping to explain for her 'physical detachment' and lack of 'fake smiles and fake cosiness'. The Duchess of Kent's funeral presented an entirely new challenge for the Princess of Wales - with the eyes of the world firmly watching on as the former Duke and Duchess mingled with members of the Firm amid a litany of scandals. Andrew and Fergie - who travelled from Royal Lodge in Windsor together - were given notable seats in the front row, just to the right of King Charles, Prince William and Kate. According to Ms James, despite the influx of scandals associate with Andrew, he maintained a 'blatant' approach, with a remarkable 'tendency to position himself in the front line group of royals, often making himself as visual as possible'. But as the Prince and Princess of Wales stood alongside King Charles and Andrew, they both appeared to look ominously into the distance, indicating a seemingly deliberate departure from the interaction. Then, as Ms James notes, at a later point in the occasion, Kate's attention appears to have been 'diverted' after she 'spots Andrew making a B line for William'. Noting that the Princess appears 'to go on the alert to support him from that more embarrassing "attack"', Kate is said to have attempt to avoid engaging in any conversation with the allegedly disgraced royals. Instead, as William and Andrew appear to make just mere seconds of small talk, Kate stands with a tight smile and makes a simple head nod, seemingly not continuing to engage with the former Duke any more than necessary. Ms James also notes that Kate's seeming 'cut' towards and Andrew and Fergie may also have had other motivations. In the likelihood that Andrew were to join the conversation, and given that the former Duke and Duchess of York are rarely seen interacting publicly, she suggests that Kate may have sought to avoid speaking to Fergie to help prevent a situation that 'could have been awkward for all four royals'. Indeed, an awareness that the eyes of the world were firmly fixated on any interaction between the Wales's and the disgraced Royals was also observable in William's use of an evasive media technique when speaking to Andrew. On what was a sombre occasion, the former Duke was seen breaking into laughter while standing next to William, who looked visibly uncomfortable and embarrassed. And an extraordinary exchange captured between the future King and his uncle showed the Prince of Wales deliberately shielding his mouth while making a quick remark to Andrew. Prior to William's concealed words, Andrew had been seen chatting to his nephew in a jovial manner, adorning a bright grin before lightly chuckling. Then, following William's disguised brief remarks, the former Duke's face immediately fell, while William, who continued staring straight ahead, looked deeply uncomfortable. What exactly was said between the two Royal men in that moment remains unknown. But brand and culture expert Nick Ede explained to the Mail that William's shrewd technique was undoubtedly due to the prince being 'very aware that every move he makes is scrutinised, analysed and replayed'. Mr Ede added that given the sensitive nature of the Duchess of Kent's funeral, alongside the 'heightened public interest' in the disgraced Royal, the stakes were 'high' for the prince to get this interaction right. 'By covering his mouth, he’s using a very modern media-savvy technique we’ve seen time and time again with footballers, celebrities, and politicians who want to keep private conversations just that, private. 'William is showing that he knows how to manage his image and protect his words.' While the details of William's words are unclear, according to a lip reader, Andrew may have been attempting to reminisce with the Prince of Wales about a previous time they had spent together, telling him 'we had a lovely time didn’t we then'. 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 then attempted to continue the conversation. 'And spending time with us,' he adds, to which William does not respond, instead simply nodding his head in silence. It comes following recent reports that the Prince and Princess of Wales could be at the forefront of a movement to 'banish' Andrew and Sarah from Windsor's Royal Lodge, the residence where they have lived rent free for decades. According to royal biographer Tina Brown, also a friend of the late Princess Diana, William and Kate 'can't abide' Andrew and are desperate for him to 'disappear'. She claimed that having him in Windsor threatens to spoil life at their 'new forever home' Forest Lodge. The couple are due to move into the Royal residence next month with their three children George, Charlotte and Louis. Meanwhile, William's reported push to exile Andrew throws an intriguing new light on a previous claim that the future King is beginning to call the shots in the Royal Family because of his father's health. Writing on her Fresh Hell Substack, Ms Brown, the highly respected author of The Palace Papers said: 'Unless Andrew can be persuaded to banish himself to a cottage on the Balmoral estate or a cushy villa on a Dubai golf course, his scowly, jowly visage will keep seeping back into the national consciousness'. Brown repeated the claim that William will ban his errant uncle from his coronation - and could even consider keeping away from King Charles' funeral, when the tragedy occurs. She wrote: 'The thornier question, perhaps approaching faster than anyone is indelicate enough to discuss, is whether, in the fullness of time, Andrew will be allowed to attend his brother, the king’s, funeral'. Brown cited the toe-curling moment William was stuck next to Andrew during the Duchess of Kent's funeral and the particularly striking contrast between William's seeming discomfort and his uncle's jovial nature. Stressing the poignant implications the funeral interactions had for the future Monarch's decisions, she added: 'The untenable hazard of banning him from public events but allowing him to still show up at family occasions was writ large at the September funeral of the Duchess of Kent, the late queen’s cousin. 'As the mourning royal party paused respectfully in the door of Westminster Cathedral when the duchess’s funeral cortege passed, Andrew loomed like a great white shark at the shoulder of a stone-faced Prince William. 'It was impossible for William, staring implacably in the other direction, to get his uncle’s baleful mug out of the shot. No chance of that happening again'.
