Prince William shared a brief but “telling” exchange with Princess Anne during the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey on Monday, with a lip-reading expert decoding the pair’s private conversation.
The Prince of Wales, 43, was spotted speaking quietly with his aunt, the Princess Royal, 75, as senior members of the Royal Family gathered for the annual ceremony celebrating the Commonwealth of Nations.
Footage from the event was later analysed by forensic lip-reader Jeremy Freeman, who told The Mirror the pair appeared to be discussing a sensitive topic.
“I agree of course, that’s another conversation,” William reportedly said.
It is unclear what Princess Anne initially said to the Prince of Wales, as her back was turned to the camera at the time.
However, Freeman suggested the exchange may have been linked to the ongoing fallout surrounding disgraced ex-prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was arrested just two weeks ago on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
The Commonwealth Day service marked the first public gathering of senior members of the Royal Family since the shock arrest, which came on the 66-year-old former prince’s birthday.
Andrew was released after 12 hours of questioning but remains under investigation following the release of the Epstein files, which laid bare the disturbing extent of his relationship with the convicted paedophile.
Despite King Charles III acknowledging the monarchy had been shaken by the revelations contained in the files, the royal appearance at Westminster Abbey was met with protests from anti-monarchist campaign group Republic.
Members of the group gathered outside the church holding banners reading ‘Abolish the monarch’ and ‘Down with the crown’.
Another protester reportedly shouted: “What did you know?” to the King- a reference to the disgraced former Duke of York, who has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Despite the demonstrations, the Royal Family were also greeted warmly by many well-wishers lining the streets as they arrived for the service.
William and Princess Anne had arrived at the historic London church alongside their respective spouses, Princess Catherine, 44, and Sir Timothy Laurence, 71.
King Charles and Queen Camilla were also in attendance, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
During the ceremony, His Majesty delivered his annual Commonwealth Day message, urging member nations to continue working together during an increasingly uncertain time.
“We join together on this Commonwealth Day at a time of great challenge and great possibility,” the 77-year-old monarch said.
“Across our world, communities and nations face the increasing pressures of conflict, climate change and rapid transformation. Yet it is often in such testing moments that the enduring spirit of the Commonwealth is most clearly revealed.”
He added: “Working together, we can ensure that the Commonwealth continues to stand as a force for good – grounded in community, committed to the kind of restorative sustainability that has a return on investment, enriched by culture, steadfast in its care for our planet, and united in friendship and in the service of its people.”
In another unusual development for the monarchy, the Commonwealth Day service was not broadcast live by the BBC for the first time since 1989.
The broadcaster said the decision was due to ongoing budget pressures and instead ran an episode of Escape to The Country.
“Our decision not to broadcast the Commonwealth Day Ceremony in the same way we’ve done in previous years reflects the difficult choices we have to make in light of our funding challenges,” the BBC said in a statement, per Hello! magazine.
“We can confirm BBC News plans to cover the service across its platforms, including the BBC One bulletins and rolling news channel.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.skynews.com.au ’
