Moment Kate Middleton became 'protective huntress' and 'ignored' Sarah Ferguson at royal funeral
Things were frosty between the pair, apparentlyKate Middleton turned into a “protective huntress” when she and Prince William crossed paths with Sarah Ferguson at a royal funeral recently, a body language expert claimed.
The Prince and Princess of Wales encountered Fergie, 66, at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral last month. However, things were reportedly frosty to say the least.
Kate Middleton ‘ignores’ Sarah Ferguson at royal funeral
Last month saw the royal family attend the funeral of the Duchess of Kent, who died on September 4 at the age of 92.
Her funeral took place at Westminster Cathedral and was attended by several high-ranking members of the royal family. These included King Charles, Prince William, and Kate, Princess of Wales.
Prince Andrew was also there, as was his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson.
However, things between them and the other royals were decidedly frosty, especially between William and Andrew.
Now, it’s been claimed that things were awkward between Kate, 43, and Sarah, too, with the Princess of Wales reportedly ignoring the former Duchess of York.
Video footage shows Kate seemingly ignoring Sarah, refusing to engage in conversation. Kate was also seen turning her head away as she walked past Fergie.
Kate turned into a ‘protective huntress’
Speaking to the Daily Mail, body language expert Judi James said Kate’s apparent ignoring of Sarah 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 took place just days before it emerged that Sarah had sent late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein an email in 2011 calling him a “supreme friend”, weeks after she’d publicly denounced their friendship.
Her peripheral vision sees at first to be aware and wary of Fergie.
Despite the funeral happening before any scandal struck Fergie, it seems as though Kate was keen to keep her distance regardless.
Continuing, Judi said: “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.”
Describing Kate as a “protective shield” for her husband, Judi branded Andrew and Fergie “the body language basking sharks of royal family events”. She added: “They appear to take advantage of family outings to position themselves with what will always look like an opportunistic eye.”
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson to leave Royal Lodge
In the month since the funeral, both Sarah and Prince Andrew have faced much scandal.
After Sarah’s Epstein email scandal hit headlines, Virginia Giuffre’s book, which was published posthumously, was released. It contained several damning allegations about Andrew.
Ms Giuffre alleged she was made to sleep with the prince on three occasions when she was 17 after being trafficked by Epstein. Andrew has always vehemently denied the allegations.
Ms Giuffre sued Prince Andrew in a US civil case in 2021, accusing him of sexual assault. They reached an out-of-court settlement in 2022 for an undisclosed sum. The royal repeated that the settlement did not mean any liability or admission of guilt.
As the allegations from the memoir made headlines, Prince Andrew announced he would no longer use his royal titles.
“In discussion with the king, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the royal family,” he said in a statement.
“I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life.”
“With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me,” he then added.
Now, reports claim that Andrew and Sarah will finally leave their 30-room Windsor Mansion, Royal Lodge.
However, where they will live next remains unclear.
Read more: King Charles heckled over Prince Andrew scandal during Lichfield visit
What do you think? Let us know by leaving a comment on our Facebook page @RoyalInsider.
