Kate Middleton's Four-Word Comment to William After Tense Andrew Exchange Revealed by Lip-Reader
A lip-reader has disclosed Princess Kate's four-word remark to Prince William following a tense conversation with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor at the Duchess of Kent's funeral in September. The exchange occurred shortly before Andrew was stripped of his royal titles amid ongoing controversies.
Tense Funeral Exchange Between Andrew and William
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was spotted engaging in a strained discussion with Prince William as senior royals departed the funeral service on September 16. According to a new Channel 5 documentary titled Lip-Reading the Royals, lip-reader Nicola Hickling claims Andrew used this moment to seek forgiveness from his nephew.
Hickling reports that Andrew stated: "I've learnt from what I've done but before I forget, and if I can, I'd like to ask you if you can forgive?" Body language expert Adrienne Carter observed that this question made William "extremely uncomfortable", noting his posture seemed to scream, "Get away from me, I don't want to be photographed, particularly engaging with you."
Queen Elizabeth II's former press secretary Dickie Arbitar added: "William's face said everything, 'I don't want to converse with you, push off'. And I think Andrew probably got the message."
Kate Middleton's Remark and William's Response
After Andrew stepped away from the future king, the Princess of Wales approached her husband on the steps of Westminster Cathedral. Hickling reveals that Kate then uttered the four-word comment: "He seems very sorry."
William reportedly responded with "Do you think I deserved that" before asking "Is that what you mean?" The lip-reader indicates that Kate reiterated her previous remark to her husband. However, royal expert Christo Foufas emphasised that Andrew did not actually apologise to the Prince of Wales, stating: "He might have seemed sorry Princess Catherine but those words did not leave his mouth, he didn't actually say sorry did he."
Background and Aftermath of the Incident
Andrew was stripped of his royal titles approximately one month after the Duchess of Kent's funeral, following sustained pressure regarding his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He was subsequently ordered by his older brother to vacate his 30-room Royal Lodge residence.
The former Duke of York was later arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, related to allegations that he passed sensitive information to the paedophile while serving as UK trade envoy from 2001 to 2011. He was released under investigation and has not been charged, continuously denying any wrongdoing stemming from the friendship.
Recent Developments in the Epstein Case
The US Department of Justice recently released a new batch of documents as part of the so-called Epstein files. Among these were low-resolution images depicting a man resembling Andrew with a woman on his lap, reportedly taken at Epstein's home. Another image shows a man with a woman posing over his shoulders, though the Express notes there is no confirmation these images feature the former prince. The identities of the women have been redacted in the files.
Princess Eugenie's Charity Role Changes
In related royal news, Princess Eugenie has stepped down as a patron of the Anti-Slavery International charity this week. The charity praised her work "across the board with leaders in the fight against modern slavery", but her profile has now been removed from its website.
Anti-Slavery International confirmed in a statement: "After seven years, our patronage from HRH Princess Eugenie of York has come to an end. We thank the Princess very much for her support for Anti-Slavery International. We hope that she continues to work to end slavery." Founded in 1839 in London, it is the world's oldest human rights charity, originally established as the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society to campaign for abolition after the Transatlantic slave trade ended, now focusing on eradicating modern slavery.
Eugenie co-founded a separate organisation called the Anti-Slavery Collective alongside Julia de Boinville in 2017 and remains a trustee of that collective according to its website.
