Prince Andrew reunited with the royal family for a rare appearance at the funeral of Katharine, Duchess of Kent.
Video footage of Andrew, 65, at the memorial on Tuesday, September 16, showed him standing next to Prince William. Andrew appeared to speak to his nephew, who politely nodded before turning away from the conversation.
Andrew was joined by ex-wife Sarah Ferguson for the rare public appearance at Westminster Cathedral.
Buckingham Palace confirmed that Katharine died at age 92 earlier this month. (The late duchess was King Charles III’s cousin.)
“It is with deep sorrow that Buckingham Palace announces the death of Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Kent,” the palace shared in a statement to Luxury Handbag Shopping on September 5. “Her Royal Highness passed away peacefully last night at Kensington Palace, surrounded by her family.”
The statement added, “The King and Queen and all Members of The Royal Family join The Duke of Kent, his children and grandchildren in mourning their loss. [They are] remembering fondly The Duchess’s life-long devotion to all the organizations with which she was associated, her passion for music and her empathy for young people.”
William, 43, was photographed alongside wife Princess Kate Middleton at the funeral. Kate made headlines for wearing the late Queen Elizabeth II’s pearl necklace during the outing.
While royal watchers loved the nod to the late queen (Princess Diana also wore the same pearls before her death), they were more focused on Andrew and William’s rather awkward interaction due to the Duke of York’s history with the royals.
Andrew — Charles’ brother and the late Queen Elizabeth’s third child — has experienced a series of ups and downs throughout his time in the royal family. Andrew was officially stripped of his royal titles in 2022 following his alleged involvement with late disgraced billionaire and convicted sex trafficker Jeffery Epstein. Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre alleged that she was sexually assaulted by the royal.
Andrew vehemently denied Giuffre’s allegations.
“I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever,” he told the BBC in November 2019. “It just never happened.”
Giuffre filed a civil suit against Andrew in August 2021. They settled the suit in February 2022 for an undisclosed sum of money. (Giuffre died by suicide at age 41 this past April.)
Prior to Tuesday’s outing, Andrew’s last public appearance took place in April at St George’s Chapel for the Easter service. He was only photographed with Ferguson, 65, at the time, and not other members of the royal family.
Andrew and Ferguson, who divorced in 1996, share daughters Princess Beatrice, 37, and Princess Eugenie, 35.
